Making the Cut
by ShearEnvy
Summary: When a small town boy moves to the big city to pursue his dreams of becoming a cop and fate places him in the chair of a sexy, snarky hairstylist whose talent has her in high demand, will it be shear ecstasy or split ends? AH/OOC B/E
1. The First Cut is the Deepest

**A/N: Ok, here it goes. This is my first attempt at Twi-Fic and to say I'm nervous would be an understatement. :) I have added links to outfits, as well as who I envision as my characters in my profile. **

**I want to thank Britpacksuccubus, who kicked my ass and told me to write something already and then helped me fix it up after I did. Without her, I would have NEVER taken a chance and tried my hand at any of this. **

**Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight.**

* * *

I was a very realistic person. Always had been. People might mistake my obsession with my appearance for vanity – I never left the house without my hair and make-up done - but if they did, they would be wrong. I could look at myself in the mirror and see every flaw; even the ones no one else would notice. I was far from vain.

My chestnut colored hair was long with caramel highlights but was basically wavy and boring, nothing to get excited over. I always wished I had that beautiful shiny hair that barely required any maintenance but that just wasn't the way things worked for me. I would admit that I knew how to make it look good – but I had NEVER been the kind of girl who could wake up, run a brush through my hair and go. And God help me if I was ever going to let anyone see me looking less than my best - to me, that was just not acceptable.

I decided long ago that my desire to do the best with what I had been given was probably what had brought me to my career choice. I never really went to school dances in school, but I was always the person my friends came to for up-do's or make-up advice when they went to them. So, even though I was a straight A student in school and got an academic scholarship to Arizona State, it wasn't a shock to my family when I decided that I wanted to go to Cosmetology school instead. I can't say that they were happy about it, but my parents accepted it for what it was - Renee more so than Charlie. Charlie was not thrilled and let me know in no uncertain terms that if I decided one day that I wanted to go to college, I was on my own. I wasn't worried. I knew what I was doing.

I went to Cosmetology school right out of high school. That's where I met Alice. Mary Alice Brandon was a tiny little thing - she was shorter than me and at five foot four, that was rare - she had raven colored hair cut in a fashionable chin length style that was flipped out all over and her eyes were ice blue. Alice was feisty but classy and if she wasn't so friendly she would've been extremely intimidating, even in her small stature. I found out on my first day that she was studying to be a Nail Technician when she made herself comfortable next to me on the bench I was sitting on outside and chatted with me as I ate my lunch. She was hilarious and swore like a sailor, which caught me off guard at first because I didn't expect us to have that in common from the looks of her. However, I learned very fast that Alice didn't mince words - she was scary, small or not. She told me during that first lunch together that she had a feeling when she saw me that we were going to be fast friends. She was right and I came to find out she pretty much always was. Alice had a sixth sense and after years of being friends, I knew never to question it.

Alice had started the nail program a month before I enrolled for Cosmetology. I had to complete sixteen hundred hours of schooling to be a hairstylist but Alice only had to do six hundred so she graduated six months before me. We had only known each other for three months when she graduated, but we had become inseparable. I had spent more time at her house than I did at my own pretty much from the day I met her and her mother and step-father treated me like another daughter. She lived in Scottsdale and came from a very wealthy family so it didn't surprise me when they announced at Alice's graduation that they had decided to buy a salon for us which her step-sister, Rosalie was going to run.

Rosalie and Alice were polar opposites except for their eye color. Rosalie Hale was a tall, leggy blonde and was possibly one of the most beautiful women I had ever met. She exuded class but from the get go I knew Rosalie was very serious about the business and a lot more soft spoken than her younger sister. Even though their parents had bought the business and essentially handed it to the three of us, Rosalie was in no way going to take it for granted. Being the daughter of a cop, and coming from modest means, I admired that about her. Just like her father and Alice's mother, she was very good to me. Rosalie was three years older than Alice and I and treated me like a little sister – in such a short time, I had grown to love the Brandon-Hale's like family and it meant a whole lot to me that they felt the same way.

Together, we built up the business to a level of success beyond our wildest expectations. After two years in Scottsdale, the Hale's decided to expand Eclipse Salon and Day Spa and hire more stylists. Because Alice and I shared a gorgeous custom home in Chandler and Rosalie had just bought a new house in Tempe, Rosalie talked them into allowing us to move somewhere that was a little more convenient for the three of us. We were taking a chance that we would lose part of our clientele, but Rosalie had researched the location and knew it was a smart business move and effectively convinced her parents of that fact. It was during our move to Ahwatukee, an upscale community in the outskirts of Phoenix, that I met Jacob Black.

Jake was a painter and worked for the business Rosalie hired to help convert a house she had fallen in love with in Ahwatukee into our new salon. In the beginning, I was entranced by his beauty - he was tall and muscular with jet black hair and russet colored skin. But the more time I spent with him, I found myself charmed by how down to earth and kind he was. He made me feel special, unique and beautiful, something no one had ever made me feel before. Jake swept me off my feet and, in the beginning, we spent every free moment together.

Shortly after we started dating, Jake introduced me to his sister. Angela was two years younger than Jake and one year older than me. She had entertained the idea of going to beauty school but her husband, Ben, made more than enough to take care of them so she decided to apply for the receptionist job Rosalie had been interviewing for shortly after we opened the new salon. Two years later, she was Rosalie's right hand and none of us could imagine the salon without her there. She helped me double my clientele in less than a year, making me the highest paid and most sought after stylist in the Phoenix area.

Deep down I knew my success wasn't _just_ because of Angela, though. Yes, she got the clients in my chair, but I kept them there. I was good at what I did and I had a passion for it that I didn't have in any other aspect of my life - not even my relationship.

Things with Jake had not progressed as I had hoped they would when we started dating. I loved my job and spent the majority of my time at the salon. And when I wasn't at the salon, chances were I was with Rose or Alice – or usually, both. I found the busier I got in my career, the less time I really had for Jake in my life. I loved spending time with him, but for me our relationship had become more like friends than lovers. The sex had been amazing in the beginning, but I found over time, it had become very mechanical and more like fucking out of habit rather than desire.

If I was being honest, I could never say that Jake and I had ever truly made love, though. Jake and I fucked like bunny rabbits in the beginning but never in two years had I felt love for the man. Well, not the kind of love that went beyond friends with benefits. Jake wanted more from me but I knew I couldn't give it to him, which had made the whole situation weird and uncomfortable. Jake treated me like a possession and had begun smothering me, making any kind of relationship with him virtually impossible. The longer I let it go on, the worse it got. And every time I thought I could end it with him, he'd sense it coming and manipulate me into feeling guilty for using him. It was a sickening cycle and more and more, I just wanted _out._

We were out to dinner at Z Tejas one night when I got a call from my mom informing me that my older brother, Emmett, was moving back to Phoenix to work with my dad. Charlie was the Chief of the Phoenix PD and I knew they were hurting for bodies so I wasn't surprised to find out Emmett would be coming back to instruct at the police academy, helping to train rookies to Charlie's standards – which, by the way, were VERY high. Charlie had been exactly what Phoenix needed when he was appointed Chief. It had been a hard ten years, but he had made a lot of positive changes, crime was significantly down and people knew not to mess around with Chief Swan. It wasn't hard to imagine how happy he'd be that his son, who had followed in his footsteps but wanted to make his own path in life, would be back to work side by side with him.

Emmett had moved away to Chicago with his girlfriend after they graduated high school. He had always wanted to be a cop but refused to be the one who everyone thought only got where he was because he was the Chief's son. So, when Kate went away to school, he went with her. Charlie would never admit it, but he was devastated – he had been thrilled when Emmett told him he had decided to pursue a career in law enforcement, but didn't expect him to do it anywhere other than Phoenix. After a bad break-up with Kate and five years on the Naperville PD, which was a suburb of Chicago, Emmett was coming home – and I was freaking thrilled.

Jake, however, didn't share my enthusiasm. I hung up the phone with my mom and filled him in on the news when he immediately ruined my mood.

"Great. No, really Bella, that's GREAT." His sarcasm was undeniable and I was nothing less than shocked.

"Wow. Seriously, Jake? Now you're jealous of my _brother?_ Unbelievable!" _Jesus, here we go…_

"Look," he said, feigning an apologetic tone, "all I'm saying is that you barely have time for me as it is. My sister sees more of you than I do these days. You're so wrapped up in your career, your friends and now, it'll be your brother. It's just one more thing to come between us." He looked at me with his big brown puppy dog eyes, which I assumed he thought would make me feel guilty or something. Too bad it didn't work.

I grabbed my napkin off of my lap, threw it onto my practically uneaten food and shoved my chair back noisily so I could leave. I refused to fight with him in public, that just wasn't my style. Then again, it was becoming more and more apparent to me that I just didn't care enough to waste the energy arguing with Jake…I'd rather walk away with my dignity. I grabbed my purse and phone and shot up out of my seat, stalking off before Jake could stop me.

On my way out the door, I scrolled through my contacts in my Blackberry and called the one person I knew would make me feel better. Three rings later, my brother's voice greeted me. "Hey, Stinkerbell! Mom called you, huh?"

"Oh my God, Em…get the Stinkerbell shit out of your system _before _you get here or I swear to baby Jesus I will shave your head in your sleep." He gave me a signature Emmett laugh that came all the way from his belly. He had been calling me Stinkerbell since we were kids and he knew how much I hated it but continued using it, anyway.

"I guess I won't ask if I can stay with you for awhile, then – I'm not taking any chances with this hair."

I stopped dead in my tracks as I reached the driver's side of my black Mercedes and squealed into the phone at my brother. "What?! Of _course_ you can stay with me and Alice – we have plenty of room. Don't be an ass!"

"Cool, Bells, I appreciate it. I really didn't want to move back home with Mom and Dad – even if it'll only be for a little while. Something about that screams pathetic, creepy guy who plays video games and jerks off in his free time."

"TMI, Em. Seriously." I faked a gag as I got into my stifling hot car, blasted the a/c and pulled out of my parking spot to head home. The last thing I wanted to hear about was my brother doing anything to his dick. As far as I was concerned, he didn't have one.

I pulled onto I-10 as we chatted, getting more and more excited that my brother was really coming home – and that he was going to be living with me and Alice for awhile. Jake clicked in three times but I ignored him – he'd already pissed me off enough and made me miss out on my Wild Mushroom Enchiladas – which, by the way was unforgivable - I wasn't going to let him ruin the good mood talking to Emmett always put me in. _And don't bother leaving a message, motherfucker.__I _will _delete it._

By the time I got off the highway at Queen Creek Road, we had plans to meet up at our parent's house the following weekend. Emmett was leaving on Thursday and would be making the drive from Chicago by himself, guessing it would take him about three days. Since Alice and I would both be at work on Saturday, he decided to go home first and wait for me there. I was elated. He hadn't been home since my high school graduation and I couldn't wait to introduce him to all my friends and co-workers. _Do I have to introduce him to Jake?__Ugh._

I stopped on the way home and got Pei Wei for Alice and me. I knew she'd be up for it and I was fucking hungry since I hadn't eaten my dinner. As I pulled into the garage and parked next to Alice's eyesore of a yellow Porsche, my mind wandered back to Jake. I was so sick of his calculating game of playing the victim to my busy schedule and I knew I needed to do something about it. I had secretly hoped he would grow impatient and end things before I had to but it was becoming increasingly clear that wasn't going to happen. _Time to put on your big girl pants and make a clean break, Bella…before things get even more complicated than they already are._

With his sister working at the salon, I was really afraid that was not going to be an easy task.

* * *

Saturday was the day we all wore jeans to work. We had all decided together that even though we loved to dress up, going casual one day a week would hurt no one. Truth be told, when Saturday came around, even though we wore jeans, none of us were able to really do the whole casual part very well. This particular Saturday was nothing different. I was wearing a pair of boot cut dark denim jeans with a champagne colored silk top that had a high neck but was sleeveless and sexy. I paired it with a pair of snakeskin Louboutin's, gold earrings and a tortoise bangle watch – we all wore our watches to work, it was the nature of the business – but we always wore a watch that looked like a bracelet so it was functional yet stylish.

I walked into the spacious kitchen of the house Alice and I shared and found her sitting at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee and the most recent issue of US Magazine that she swiped from the salon the night before.

"Good morning my little Bellarina," Alice said in her sweet little sing song voice with a giggle not even lifting her head from her magazine. I groaned in response. I fucking hated that nickname about as much as I hated "Stinkerbell". _Why did my parents have to give me a name that had so many annoying nickname possibilities?_

I opened the fridge and stared at its contents, trying to decide what I was going to eat on the way into work. Alice was a morning person and it annoyed the hell out of me because it just was _not _normal to be that happy first thing in the morning.

"Jesus Christ, Alice. How is it that you're always so fucking chipper in the morning?" I grabbed a blueberry muffin and turned around to face her. I narrowed my eyes at her angrily, willing her to look up from her magazine so she could see me flipping her off.

I swear to God I didn't see that little bitch raise her eyes, but she must have because she grinned from ear to ear and said, "Nice nail."

I glared at her and made a mental note to stab her with my shears next time I was trimming her hair.

I looked at my nail and shook my head. I didn't even know the damn thing was broken but now that she pointed it out, it was going to piss me off till I got it fixed and Alice knew it.

"Don't worry, Bells," she said, reading my mind, "I'll fix it when we get to the salon. I know how you are and I'm not going to listen to you bitch about it all day."

She stuck her tongue out at me and I decided then and there that before I stabbed her, I was going to cut all her hair off. She had grown out the black flippy style she had in beauty school and it was now a mahogany color, down to the middle of her back with long layers. Alice had gorgeous hair – the kind I had prayed for when I was younger but God had never delivered to me. _That's right, whore.__I'll cut it all off.__Just wait._

She clicked her tongue against her teeth and slowly lifted her gaze to look at me. "Oh yeah and Bella," she said again in her sugary sweet voice, "stop entertaining the idea of doing inappropriate things to me with your shears or I'll have Laurent cut my hair next time." _How did she do that?!_

I snickered and she winked at me. We both knew she wouldn't let anyone else do her hair, not even Laurent. Sure he was hot…and French…and gay…and probably one of the best hairstylists I had ever known personally. But he wasn't me. And that's all that mattered to Alice. She and Rosalie hadn't trusted their hair to anyone since we met – just like I wouldn't trust anyone else to do my nails.

Alice got up off her stool and put her coffee cup in the sink, rinsing it out. As usual, she was the picture of fashion in red skinny jeans and a black and white striped tunic type top with black Louboutin ankle boots. While I usually leaned towards gold, Alice was never without her platinum bangle watch and matching jewelry. And somehow, she had found the time to re-polish her nails with a bright red color that matched her pants and her lipstick.

Alice didn't have the classic beauty of her sister, Rosalie, but she was definitely gorgeous in a more exotic way. She had men hit on her left and right but in the entire time I'd known her, she'd never had a serious relationship. She always told me she was waiting for "the one" and until then, she was having fun being single. Whoever "the one" was, I prayed for him - I loved Alice, but she was a pain in the ass and her future husband better be at the top of his game if he was going to be able to keep up with her. No doubt about that.

"I'm booked solid so if you want me to fix your nail, we better get going."

I grumbled and rolled my eyes because she knew damn well I wanted it fixed. "Fine. But we're stopping at Starbuck's on the way - I need my fucking caffeine if I'm going to put up with your chipper ass. Not to mention Emmett's going to be here later. I need to prepare for months of you guys double teaming me with your morning joy." I never understood how anyone could be happy about waking up but fuck my life if my brother wasn't just as happy as Alice in the morning. _Why did I agree to let him stay with us again?__Oh yeah, something about video games and jerking off while living at home or something.__Ew.__Again, I need to bleach my brain.__Emmett does not have a dick.__Emmett does not have a dick.__Emmett does not…_

"Whatever, Bella. You and I both know you're looking forward to your brother being here _and_ having one more excuse to keep you away from Jake. Lord knows, I don't blame you. Blech."

"Thanks, Alice, but don't remind me."

"You know, I hate to be the one to say I told you so…" Oh my God, she was _such_ a lying bitch. She _lived _to tell me she told me so. "But, I fucking TOLD you so! 'He's so sweet. He's so great. He's too good to be true'." Bitch was mimicking me. Like it wasn't bad enough that she was right, _as usual_, but she had to fucking rub it in! And believe me, it did _not_ feel good.

She didn't stop at that, though. She _had_ to keep going, it was her nature. "I distinctly remember telling you that if he seemed too good to be true, that's probably because he _is._ But did you listen to me? No! And guess what? Come on, Bella, you can say it. I. Was. Right! Now you're stuck with a whiney mangina and we're all stuck having to listen to you bitch about him."

Her little tirade continued until we were halfway to the salon in her bright yellow monstrosity and by the time we got to Starbuck's I needed a double shot. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

I heard Rosalie's turquoise Manolo heels clicking down the stairs from her office as I was blow drying my client's hair. He tilted his eyes to look up at her and I noticed his mouth gape open slightly at her beauty. Even in black, bootcut, skinny jeans and a dark grey, rouched, jersey tunic with buttons down the side, she was still stunning. And damn it if she didn't make it look easy. She was carrying her purse which matched her shirt perfectly and she had on a pair of black oversized sunglasses. _Thank you, God.__She's going to get us lunch!_

She tucked the left side of her long, layered blonde hair behind her ear, showing off her gold hoop earrings which matched the multiple chained necklace she wore and helped dress up her jeans, like always. "I'm going to pick up some pizza. I'll be back in a few." She turned and walked past the front desk, peeking at the appointment book on the computer screen and giving Angela a couple of things to do while she was gone. I watched my client's eyes follow her ass in the mirror until she was out the door. Yep. Rosalie was a hot chick, there was no doubt about that. If I was a guy, I'd do her. Shit, I'd do her before I'd ever do Jake again. _Wow, Bella.__Lesbianism is more attractive than Jake now?__That's really saying something…_

I was in the middle of a highlight when Rosalie came back about twenty minutes later and took the pizza up to the kitchen that was next to her office. One really nice thing about converting a house into a salon was that we had a full working kitchen so she could keep the pizza warm in the oven for us so we could take a break as our schedules allowed.

By the time I had my client's foils done, it was time to drop the back and rinse them. I was getting cranky because I was so fucking hungry but I couldn't just leave my client.

"Isabella, go eat," I heard from behind me as I was walking my client back to the shampoo bowls. Laurent always called me by my full name. He said it was too beautiful of a name to shorten. For some reason, when he said it, it sounded so good rolling off his tongue in his sexy French accent that it didn't bother me. At. All. Why were all the good ones gay or married? Or gay _and _married, which was the case with Laurent. At thirty seven, he had been with his life partner, Michel, for ten years and was as loyal and faithful as my parents were. Sure, he flirted with the ladies but he really only had eyes for Michel. I hoped someday I would find my "Laurent".

"I have to rinse the back of her foils, Laurent. I'll do it later."

"No, no ma cherie. You go now. I will take care of this lovely lady for you." He swooped in and reached his hand out to my client who was dumbstruck by his good looks and hesitated before absentmindedly putting her hand in his. In true Laurent fashion, rather than shaking her hand, he put it to his mouth and kissed it, looking her in the eyes the entire time.

"My name is Laurent and I will be your stand-in Isabella for awhile, if that is okay with you?" Before she could respond, he asked her name and she blushed and giggled before telling him. _Smooth motherfucker.__I better not lose my client to your panty dropping theatrics._

"Thanks, Laurent." I eyed him suspiciously and then averted my gaze to my client and smiled, placing a hand of reassurance on her shoulder. "I'll be right back, Jess. I'm just going to run upstairs and eat some lunch before I pass out. You're in very capable hands, I promise."

I heard Laurent chuckle as he started an animated conversation with Jessica. I had such a hard time walking away and leaving her with him. Even though I trusted Laurent, I rarely left him to tend to one of my clients. He was extremely good at what he did. And when I said what he did, I meant rendering women helpless with his stare and using his French voodoo – or whatever the fuck it was – to get them to think he was the best in the business. Who was I kidding? He _was _the best in the business. He was the only one I trusted to do my hair for fuck's sake. I knew I was a good stylist – damn good – but he was better than me. He had more experience and he used that to his advantage.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to care enough to pass up the chance to put something in my stomach. I hadn't had anything since my blueberry muffin on the way in to work and that was almost seven hours earlier. I told myself I'd eat fast and get back to Jessica before he had a chance to take her back to his chair and dry her hair. That way, she wouldn't have _too_ much time to swoon at his bullshit. I looked at my watch and told myself that I would be twenty minutes, tops.

When I got up to the kitchen, Rose and Alice were sitting down chatting as Alice – who was just as busy as I was – was stuffing her face full of pepperoni pizza in a rush to get done before her next client arrived. I had no idea where she put it, but that girl could _eat._

"You're finally eating, huh?" said Rosalie, looking up at me with a guilty smile. "I'm sorry; I think we overbooked you today." She squeezed her eyes shut waiting for my response and obviously not expecting a good one. Alice snorted and almost choked on her pizza. Rosalie was known for overbooking us – it was nothing new. And we always got a kick out of it when she acted like she was sorry. She loved us, but Rose always did what was best for the business and even though she worked us really hard, we were thankful she was as business savvy as she was – without her, we wouldn't have the careers that we both had.

Alice looked up at me with a sneer, waiting for my response. She and Rosalie had a love-hate relationship and she looked forward to any opportunity for me to help her taunt her sister. Unfortunately for her, I was too hungry and tired to make the effort.

"No worries, Rose. Laurent offered to rinse Jess's foils for me so I could get some pizza. I'm fucking _starving._"

Alice shook her head at me in disgust, grumbling something that distinctly sounded like "buzzkill" under her breath as she continued to inhale her food. I seriously wanted to know how she had such a good body when she could eat both me and Rosalie under the table. She almost ate as much as my brother who was practically twice her size. It just wasn't right. _Slow your roll, Alice.__I'm about to lose my fucking appetite. That's right, _I _am disgusted by _you. _Take that._

I grabbed a Diet Coke out of the fridge, pulled the pizza box out of the oven and set two pieces on a plate, turning the oven off since I was the last one to eat. I plopped down at the glass dining table next to Alice, slipping my shoes off and putting my feet up on the chair across from me. I leaned my head back in the comfy chair and closed my eyes, sighing. Rosalie had the salon decorated so that other than our work areas, it looked and felt like a home. She even had the extra room next to her office furnished with bedroom furniture. Alice and I had given her a hard time about it in the beginning, but she did it anyway. She went on and on about how it was good to have just in case any of us needed to crash or just get away. And, like Alice, she was always right…we had all used it at one time or another. I had to give it to Rosalie – she always thought and planned ahead.

The three of us sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the busy salon below us. We would laugh here and there, listening to Laurent woo my client with his stories. I could just picture him crouching in front of her, his dark, soulful eyes looking up at her through is thick lashes as he told her about growing up in France and frolicking in the fucking wildflowers in the country or some shit like that as she became putty in his hands.

I started to get nervous and looked down at my watch. I knew leaving Jess with Laurent wasn't a good idea - I was fucking hungry, not stupid. _Shit.__I better get back down there before I lose her altogether._

As if on cue, I heard Angela's black flats as she ascended the stairs. I figured she was coming to tell Alice her next client was waiting and from the looks of it, Alice did, too. She shot up out of her chair as she swallowed the last drink of her soda and cleaned up her dishes, putting them in the stainless steel dishwasher and washing her hands.

Angela shuffled into the kitchen to tell Alice her back fill appointment had arrived and to let me know I had a walk-in. I looked at her like she was nuts and she hesitantly informed me that Laurent had talked Jessica into a haircut, which he was going to do, so I had free time to take someone else. _Crap._

I looked at Rose, fuming at what Laurent had done and she shrugged her shoulders at me and apologized – this time it actually felt like she meant it. "Shit, Bella, I'm sorry. You'll still get paid for the highlight and I'll make sure I talk to him tonight before he leaves. I really don't think he does this stuff on purpose. He loves you."

"Mmhmm." I was pissed. But I really couldn't blame anyone but myself. I knew not to leave her with him, especially after I saw her practically have an orgasm while he was eyefucking her right in front of me.

I put my heels back on, stood up from the table and pushed in my chair. Rosalie stood with me and put out her hand for my dish "I'll get your dish, sweetie. Don't worry about it." Wow, now I _knew _she felt guilty...Rosalie was pretty much all business at work and never did anyone's dishes of her own volition. "I'll talk him. I promise."

She put her hand on my arm, sensing my anger and wanting to make sure I knew she was sincere. "I'm not mad at _you, _Rose. And don't worry about saying anything to him – that French fucker will probably give me a pixie cut or something next time he does my hair if you do. And there's no way in _hell_ I'm letting Bree anywhere near my head with a pair of shears. Her work is craptastic and you know it."

She narrowed her eyes at me and glared. Bree had been a source of contention between us for quite some time. Rosalie hated when I pointed out what a shitty stylist Bree was - and believe me, I did it every time I had an opportunity. I didn't have anything against Bree personally but she was a terrible hair stylist and I kept telling Rose she needed more training. I had corrected so many of her mishaps – it wasn't good for business _or_ our reputation. And there was no fucking way I would ever let her touch a hair on my head. Ever.

Alice snickered and grabbed me by the arm, yanking me with her towards the stairs leading down to the salon below before the discussion got heated. I giggled with her knowing if I didn't hurry, Rose would change her mind about cleaning up after me. We walked down the stairs with our arms linked as Alice whispered animatedly in my ear about nothing important. She must have been trying to distract me so I didn't look over and shoot daggers at Laurent and make Jessica uncomfortable – but she knew that wasn't my style. Jess was a client and I was nothing less than professional at work. Still, I welcomed and appreciated her effort at diversion.

When we got up to the reception desk, she stopped dead in her tracks so quickly that I almost bumped into her.

"What the…" I started to say, remembering where I was and stopping myself before I said something completely _un_professional.

I craned my neck around Alice's body and saw a man, the man Alice was blatantly staring at, sitting in the waiting area. He was dressed rather unseasonably in a long sleeved grey shirt, blue jeans and gray Chucks, with his head down reading last month's Sports Illustrated and humming to the song on the sound system Rose had wired into every room. Angela looked at me, cocking one of her perfectly arched eyebrows at me, as if she was waiting for some kind of reaction when Alice turned and looked at me expectantly, as well. I looked at them and narrowed my eyes in silent question. _What the hell is wrong with the two of you? _Alice ignored me and took her client back to her manicure room while Angela shrugged at me and shook her head with a hint of smirk pulling up on the corner of her mouth. _What the fuck ever, Ang. Thanks for clearing that up for me. _I shook my head back at her and groaned inwardly.

I leaned past her and looked at the computer screen until I saw his name. "Edward?" I asked.

He looked up from his magazine in response to his name and I found myself staring at what had to be the world's most beautiful green eyes. I realized then that he must have looked up when Alice walked into the reception area. That would explain why she almost tripped me – she had been mesmerized by him and his amazing eyes. "Yep, that's me," he said as he closed the magazine, tossed it on the glass coffee table and stood up with his hand stretched out to shake mine.

I shook his hand and fuck me if I didn't feel some kind of weird spark when our hands met. I gasped out loud like an idiot, dropping his hand and gesturing towards my chair. Normally I would have introduced myself or said something but my brain would not function after feeling the warmth of his hand in mine. I felt myself blush as I shot Angela a look, realizing she had been waiting for my reaction. He was beautiful.

He walked over to my station and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking at his ass as I followed behind him. I did. _The entire time. _Yes, he had a _very_ nice ass. He sat down in my chair with a smile at me in the mirror as I searched in my head for words that I just couldn't find. _Jesus, did you ride the short bus here today, Bella? Pull yourself together for crying out loud.._

"Uh, hi, I'm Bella," I stuttered, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. I still had butterflies in my stomach from the handshake and the thought of running my fingers through his hair while effectively holding a conversation with him - without losing my shit - seemed virtually impossible. His eyes caught me in the mirror as I fastened the cape around his neck and again, I lost my train of thought. _Fuck me. Please and thank you._

He spun his chair around to face me and said, "Hi, nice to meet you. I really appreciate you being able to work me in." He flashed his beautiful smile at me and I felt like my knees were going to collapse underneath me. I felt almost naked with him facing me, in such close quarters, so I spun his chair back around and talked to him while looking at him through the mirror. That was one of the worst no-no's in my book...a good stylist should always stand in front of the client when performing a consultation...but there was no way I would be able do that with Edward.

I had no idea what had come over me, but I was starting to freak out. In a matter of minutes, this man had my heart racing and I was a mess and that was just not like me. I was a strong woman - the daughter of a cop, independent, successful. I had come in contact with so many good looking men since starting in the industry and no one had _ever_ affected me this way. _What. The. Fuck._

I looked above Edward's reflection in the mirror and noticed Angela had turned around and was watering the plants in the reception area, trying to look busy. She had her back to us, but I knew she was listening. Bitch didn't fool me one bit. I turned my attention back to Edward, noticing him smirking, yet again, and waiting for me to respond. "Uh, yeah. No problem," I laughed awkwardly. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks once again and started to feel like a little kid with a grade school crush – which made me blush even more. I hesitated before allowing myself to run my fingers through his silky hair and decided I should probably try and do my job, rather than continuing to drown in my embarrassment.

"So, what are we doing today?"

He ran his long, pale, fingers through his copper colored hair and explained how he wanted it cut. A little off the top, more off the sides and back. He wore it a little longer and messy on the top – the kind of messy that looked like he just rolled out of bed but yet too well placed to have just done so. It was obvious that he paid attention to his appearance, although with what he had to work with, I doubted it took much for him to look as good as he did.

We chatted casually as I shampooed and cut his hair. I found out he had recently moved to Phoenix from a small town in Washington called Forks. After going to college at Washington State and getting his degree in criminal justice, he attempted to get a job with the police department in his home town but openings were few and far between. And with the economic crisis, he found it virtually impossible find a job anywhere local. So, after almost a year of applying for local departments, he decided to throw caution to the wind and started applying for any police department that was hiring. I knew the Phoenix PD loved to score recruits that had a degree so it didn't surprise me that they had scooped Edward up before anyone else had. It was Saturday, he had only been in Phoenix for three days and the new class at the Police Academy started on Monday.

I laughed at the irony of the fact that my brother was instructing the new class of cadets and Edward was going to be in his class. He had no idea what he was in for – from what I had heard from our dad, Emmett was tough, but graduates from his classes in Naperville were the best officers on the force.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked as I was notching into the layers I had just put in the top of his hair, so as to give him his signature just rolled out of bed after a night of fuckhot sex look. _Whoa, Bella.__You have really lost it.__Focus on the conversation you're having with the sex god and stop drooling, you ass._

"You're not going to believe this, but my father is Chief Swan and it just so happens my brother, Emmett, is your instructor. He just moved back from the Chicago area and is starting with Phoenix on Monday, with your class."

He cocked his head to the side to look up at me in the mirror and said in his very sexy voice, "I'm afraid to ask if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Considering the look on your face, I think it's safe to assume I'm going to be crying like a little girl and begging for mercy sometime in the near future."

I couldn't help but laugh again because Edward was right on the money. My dad made sure that each and every one of his officers that graduated from the police academy was fully prepared to do his or her job and do it well – and Emmett was determined to make our father proud. "Yeah, probably more than once," I confirmed, looking at him with a very serious look on my face.

He groaned and we both cracked up. It was amazing how comfortable I now felt with him considering how nervous he had initially made me. There was no doubt he was probably one of the most...no scratch that..._the most _attractive man I had ever met but he was also very down to earth and easy to talk to which made me want him even more. I didn't usually trust men so easily thanks to Emmett and Charlie, which made me question if my judgment was just impaired by his good looks. I had to admit that I didn't really care if it was. Something inside me felt important because this gorgeous man made me feel like he wanted to know me – and more importantly, he wanted me to really know him. I was suddenly glad at that moment that Laurent had stolen Jess from me.

I could hear Alice's voice in my head reminding me over and over of her infamous mantra, "Everything happens for a reason." _Interesting._

I finished Edward's hair and walked him up to the reception desk, leaving him with Angela so she could cash him out and, hopefully, book him another appointment. I tried to look busy as Angela leaned in and spoke to Edward in a hushed voice. I never hovered when she was closing out the transaction with my clients, leaving it up to her to get them to rebook. That was her specialty. I saw her reflection in the mirror as she grabbed one of my business cards, wrote something on it and handed it to him as they chatted.

He looked at the card with a smile that looked almost grateful and put it in his wallet. His head snapped up as if he felt me watching him, catching me in mid drool. _Shit. Smooth Bella, really smooth. _I felt the heat flow over my cheeks for about the millionth time since our initial meeting and looked away as fast as I could, deciding to pay attention to the sweeping I had been pretending to do.

"So, Bella, tell me something," Edward said as he put his wallet back in his jeans and walked over to me.

"Hmm?" I responded absentmindedly.

He stopped right behind me, touching my arm so I'd stop sweeping. He leaned in and I felt his warm breath on my neck as he opened his mouth and said very quietly in my ear, "Do you think I'd win points with your brother if I told him how beautiful I think his sister is?"

Before I could even respond, he leaned forward placing a fifty dollar tip on my station, put on his black Raybans and turned, walking away without even a glance at me to gauge my reaction to both his words and his sickeningly generous tip. My heart was pounding erratically as I stood there with my mouth wide open like an idiot.

Man he was a cocky sonofabitch. Cocky and _beautiful_. _Again,_ I was referring to Edward as beautiful. But God was he. And just the thought of him in a police uniform made my panties wet. I was fucked. No wait, scratch that. I wasn't fucked…yet. But if I had my way – and I usually did - I would be. By Edward Whateverthefuckhislastnamewas.

Shit. I groaned internally. I didn't even know his last name.I knew I could get it from the computer, but I felt like I was crossing a line by doing so and I really had no desire to look like a stalker. But what if he never came back? I was _not_ going to Emmett. He would flip. He was still very overprotective of me – even though he had been gone for years. And, ethically speaking, it wasn't a good idea for an instructor to have any kind of personal involvement in a cadet's life in any way.

My Blackberry vibrated in my pocket, pulling me out of my desperate obsession over seeing Edward again. I looked at the screen and saw I had a text message and 3 missed calls. I looked at the missed call list and saw that two were from Jake – no plans to call him back – and one was from Emmett who must've called to let me know he made it to Charlie and Renee's. None of the calls were recent, so I knew the text must have been the vibration I felt just a few seconds before.

I looked at the text and almost didn't read it because I didn't recognize the number but, for some reason, I opened it anyway and when I did, a huge grin broke out across my face.

_**Angela gave me your #.**__**Now you have mine.**__**Use it.**__**SOON.**__**– Edward**_

_Well__,__ I'll be damned.__ Jake's sister was a sneaky little bitch._


	2. Head Games

**A/N First, I want to thank everyone for the fuckawesome response I got to my first chapter! Wow!! You all made me feel so warm and fuzzy...I am seriously shocked and elated! :) This chapter brings in EPOV - and I hope you love Copward as much as I do. ;)**

**Pictures of both Bella & Alice's house and Edward's house , as well as the salon are on my profile. Much thanks to Nostalgicmiss for making the collages for me! :) **

**Again, I have to thank my beta, Britpacksuccubus, for all her help in getting this chapter where it needed to be.**

**One more thing and then I'll end this WAY TOO LONG A/N...ilsuocantante, whom I love DEARLY, started a thread for my little fic on Twilighted. Please come, take a look and chat with us. We're chatty h00rz but we have fun and we'd love for you to join in! Check it out at www[dot]twilighted[dot]?f=44&t=5931.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own Copward and Tintarella (thanks for that one, KiyaRaven!)---- And, btw, if you're not reading her fic, The Screamers, you SO should be!**

* * *

**BPOV**

I sat in the car next to Alice and cringed, waiting for her to start in on me. We hadn't had much of a chance to discuss anything since I had almost tripped over her earlier and I wasn't really in a place where I felt ready to discuss Edward with anyone. I was truthfully still at the point where I was inside my head trying to make sense of it all. I hadn't even texted Edward back and still wasn't sure if I was going to.

After I read his text message, I had tried to pin down Angela and talk to her about giving Edward my cell number, but she kept flitting around - running up to Rose's office or back to Alice's manicure room all in an effort to avoid my questioning. _You can run, but you can't hide you little bitch. I'll get you eventually. And when I do, you better hope I'm not in any position to 'accidentally' wax off one of your eyebrows. _I had a feeling she had filled Alice in on what had happened - and if Alice knew, Rosalie knew, as well. That was just the way it worked.

As much as I didn't want to talk about any of it before I really figured out what I was going to do, I knew it was best to head Alice off at the pass, especially considering we would be with my family in a very short amount of time and I did _not_ need her bringing it up in front of my brother - or my father, for that matter.

"Alright, Alice. I can tell your fucking head is about to explode from the pressure of _not_ saying what's on your mind - Godforfuckingbid. Go ahead."

Alice looked at me as she reached the Chandler-Ray Loop and continued up into the Foothills toward my parent's house. She was the picture of innocence which we both knew was bullshit. Innocent was not a word I would _ever _use to describe Alice. "I don't know what you're talking about, Bella." _Fuck me. You have _got _to be kidding me. I don't want to talk about this as it is, but you're going to make me work for it, aren't you? _

If I didn't know her better, I would have dropped the subject altogether. But Alice had a little issue I liked to refer to as "Diarrhea of the Mouth Syndrome" and I wasn't about to risk her saying something when we got to my parent's house. _Time for hardball, Bitch._

In an effort to get her to stop her bullshit games, I slowly reached behind me with my left hand, picking up her red patent Versace purse from behind her seat. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, making sure she wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. Luckily, she had gotten sidetracked with changing the CD so when I slowly started to lower the window with the index finger on my right hand, she didn't notice. She snapped her head in my direction as she felt the warm air coming into the car - she knew I was up to something and I knew I had to work fast. As quickly as I could, I brought my left hand out from behind her, purse in hand. Alice's eyes bugged out of her head as she realized what I was about to do.

"Bella!" Her high pitched screech was enough to shatter the windshield and I couldn't help but get an evil grin on my face as I shifted her purse from my left had to my right and started to hang it out the window. "You fucking BITCH! That purse cost me over three grand! What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?"

Ha! She was sweating..._sweating. _Alice had a weird infatuation with her accessories and this purse happened to be one of her favorites. _That's right, bitch. Now do you know what I'm talking about_?

"Jesus, Al...calm down. I'm not going to hurt your baby." I shook the purse as it hung out the window and felt Alice let up on the gas in classic Alice style overreaction. She was actually about to pull the fucking car over for a God damned purse. "All you have to do is spill it and your purse will live to see another day."

I heard the car behind us blare its horn and watched in the side mirror as it swerved out of view and I started to panic. If there was one thing I knew about Alice, it was that she was a feisty bitch. And even though Emmett and Charlie had both made sure I could defend myself, I knew Alice could take me. _Didn't really think this through, did ya Bella? Not the best idea to piss off the crazy purse lady._

"What do you want from me, Bella? Do you want me to admit that Angela told me she gave your number to Officer FuckMeEyes? FINE! She did! Now can you PLEASE bring your hand BACK in the window before you DROP MY VERSACE?!" She was beginning to hyperventilate and I couldn't help but feel smug that even though I was afraid of her, I still had the upper hand because she was so sickeningly in love with her motherfucking handbag. There had always been a funny dynamic between me and Alice - we were both bitches in our own right but neither of us ever knew how far the other would push it. And it was glaringly obvious at that point that she really thought I'd throw her purse out the window which I _never_ would have done. I was silently pleased that I scared her as much as she scared me and filed that fact away to be revisited when the need arose.

I brought the purse back into the car and placed it in my lap, leaving the window open and eyeing Alice with a smug grin on my face. If I was going to get what I wanted from her - which was her silence - I was going to have to be firm and let her know the possibility still existed that I could throw her beloved purse out the window at any time. "Here's the deal," I began in a tone that let Alice know I meant business. "If you want to discuss this...which we both fucking know you do...we will do so. However, and this is non-negotiable, you will _not_ mention _anything_ at my parent's house. We'll talk about it all later. _ In private."_

She let out a sigh of exasperation as she turned into my parent's subdivision. Realizing I was not going to negotiate in any way, she gave in and agreed to my terms. "Fine." She smiled at me sweetly and although I had just gotten what I wanted, something told me she had given in way too easily. I pushed the button to roll up my window and smiled back at her. _Conversation over. Crisis averted. God, I hope so..._

We hadn't planned on staying for dinner, but when we got to my parent's house Renee told us to wash up for dinner, which was waiting for us on the table. It was after 7pm and although we really wanted to get home after a long day at the salon, Alice and I couldn't say "no" to a home cooked meal - especially one that was cooked by my mom. Renee was a fantastic cook. She had gone to culinary school before getting pregnant with Emmett and if she hadn't decided to stay home and raise my brother and me, I had no doubt she'd probably own her own restaurant by now. Charlie had never discouraged her from going back once we were older and didn't need her constant supervision, but Renee was comfortable and had no desire to do anything other than be a loving wife and mother. I was grateful that she had put her dreams aside for us, but knew that my insane drive for success in my career was partially due to her inability to pursue her own. I loved my mother, but I never understood how she could have been so content in her role as the wife of a cop and the mother of two kids as to not crave the opportunity to be her own person.

Dinner went along with out incident thanks to the fact that Alice was too busy stuffing her face to actually _talk_. When she _did_ come up for air and actually participated in the conversation at the dinner table - which wasn't often - I watched my brother swoon like a fucking fangirl and hang on her every word. Emmett, who had met Alice for the first time when we walked in the door that evening, was smitten...which worried me. If we were all going to live together, that shit was _not_ going to fly. Whether the living situation was going to be permanent or not - and honestly, I _knew_ it was going to be somewhat permanent - there was _no way _I was going to take any chance that I was going to come home and find Alice and Emmett knocking boots. _Oh my God, Bella - you did _not_ just is the term "knocking boots"? What year are we in?_

I decided it was a good idea to ride with Emmett back to the house so I could set some ground rules ahead of time. I sat in the passenger side of his Jeep which was stuffed floor to ceiling with all of his shit as Emmett headed out towards Chandler. He screwed around with the stereo, trying to find something to listen to and ended up popping in a CD when he remembered that Phoenix radio stations didn't even come close to comparing to the ones he was used to in Chicago. Once the CD started to play he looked over at me, knowing me well enough to recognize the only reason I chose to smoosh myself into his Jeep rather than ride comfortably with Alice was because I had something on my mind.

"Alright, Stinkerbell, what's up?"

"God, do you _have_ to use that fucking nickname every time we talk? Every time, Emmett?" I crossed my arms like a petulant child because at that moment, I fucking felt like one. If Alice got wind of what Emmett called me, I couldn't even begin to imagine how many ways she'd torture me with it. And because she was already holding the whole "Edward situation" over me, I did _not_ need her to have any more ammunition to use against me - especially after I'd tortured her beloved Versace. "Unless you want to go back and stay with Mom and Dad, I suggest you try _really_ hard _not_ to use it again. I'm not kidding, Em."

"Sorry, B." Emmett smiled big, dimples puckering his cheeks. He knew I would forgive him. I always did. No matter what, I always had a soft spot in my heart for my bear of a big brother - and he knew that and used it to his advantage whenever he felt the need.

"Fuck off, Emmett...and stop trying to charm your way back into my good graces. I saw the way you were drooling all over Alice and I'm telling you right now - do _not_ even _think_ about it. Alice is my best friend _and _my roommate..._our_ roommate. If you want to stay in my house, you will _not_ fuck around with Alice. Period."

"She's _so _hot, though, Bella! Come on, cut me some slack. I _know_ I could make her feel good and if you love her, you'd want that for her."

"Oh my God, Emmett - you did _not_ just say that! You are sick and wrong...and I think I just threw up in my mouth!" I punched him in the arm as hard as I could and hissed from the pain it caused. Emmett had hugely muscular arms and my punch, which I had thrown all my weight into, was probably like a mosquitoe bite to him. The motherfucker didn't even flinch. I rubbed my right fist, trying to shake off the pain and praying that I didn't break anything while Emmett kept driving towards my house, laughing hysterically.

"I want you to give me your word that you won't make a move on Alice, Emmett McCarty Swan. And if you can't give me that, then we're going to have to rethink the whole roommate thing. You and I both know it's never a good idea to shit where you eat and I'm not going to take the chance that you're too dumb to realize that when things go bad - and we both know they eventually would - it could not only ruin my friendship with Alice, but also my career."

"Fine, Bella," he said in a solemn voice and holding up two fingers, "scouts honor. I will _not_ hit on Alice. As much as I want to - and I really, _really_ want to, by the way - I can see where you're coming from." He hesitated and I looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He stopped at the light, waiting to turn into my subdivision and turned his head to look right at me so I could see how serious he was when he finished his thought. "I mean, I wouldn't want you fucking around with one of my recruits, you know?"

The light changed and he turned left into my neighborhood as my mind spun with thoughts of Edward. A recruit. In Emmett's class. I knew I shouldn't pursue anything with him, but something told me I didn't really have a choice. My lady parts decided as soon as he looked in my eyes that they wanted him. And who was I to argue with my lady parts?

Emmett was growing suspicious of my silence and I knew I had to respond. He expected me to heed his warning - as he had mine about Alice - but I didn't know if I could do it. I swallowed hard, trying to come up with something to say to him that would appease him, coming up with nothing. _Fuck you, brain. You can always come up with a sarcastic comment at the most inopportune times, but when I need you, you fucking fail me. Thanks for nothing._

Emmett pulled into the driveway of the house Alice and I lived in and threw it in park. He turned off the engine and sat there, looking at me with his suspicious older brother scowl, waiting for me to confess to some kind of wrong doing. _Yeah, you'll be waiting a _long _time, motherfucker. So, you can take your stink eye and shove it up your ass. How do you like them apples?_

"Bella..." he started, his tone warning me this was not a topic that was up for discussion, "I gave you what you wanted and told you I'd keep my dick out of Alice - much to her dismay, I'm sure," he smirked like the manwhore he was and I almost gagged. "I expect you to be respectful of _my_ career just the same."

I knew there was no way around it, so I agreed to Emmett's demand, just as he had agreed to mine. "Sure, Em. No worries," I said as nonchalant as I could. He visibly relaxed and got out of the Jeep, grabbing some of his shit to bring inside as I sat there eyeing my Blackberry, filled with guilt over what I had just done. _Oh, Bella, you are such a fucking liar._

* * *

I awoke Sunday morning with an overwhelming desire to call Edward. I had spent the entire night dreaming about his eyes, the smirk, his broad chest, that ass...and don't even get me started on the dirty places my mind went with the handcuffs I knew he'd soon be issued. I wanted to do things to that man that I had never even entertained doing with any man I had ever been with and I had no idea where that desire stemmed from. _Shut the fuck up, Bella. It comes from your mind...in the gutter...where it lives on a permanent basis._

I was quite certain I had moaned out loud in my sleep more than once during my night of fitful slumber and was extremely relieved my brother's room was downstairs and on the opposite side of the house from mine. As I laid in bed, the images from the previous night's dreams flashed through my mind and it became increasingly obvious to me that my panties had become wetter than they already were when I woke up. _What the fuck is wrong with me? _

Before I could answer that question, my Blackberry rang, snapping me out of my thoughts and bringing me back to reality. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it echoing in my ears. I looked at the screen, willing it to not be Edward and let out my breath in a resounding "whoosh" when I saw the name that stared back at me. Angela. _Oh, Angela...I hope you're wearing your big girl panties today because you are about to get an earful._

"Well, hello, Angela," I said in a voice that I hoped would convey to her that she was _dead_.

"Hey, Bells!" _Wow, that worked. She's _so _scared...only not so much. _"Ben told me I needed to call you and make sure you're not pissed after I told him what happened at work yesterday. You're not are you? I mean, Edward is _so hot_.And he was _so _into you. And let's be honest, things with you and Jake are rocky at best. So, I didn't think you'd mind if I gave Edward your cell. I figured you'd be kind of glad I did. Oh yeah, and I booked him another appointment for three weeks. I guess your brother is a hard ass and they have to keep their hair a certain way so he doesn't want to take any chances that he'll get reprimanded for it..."

"Fuck, Ang! Take a breath!" I had to jump in so she would shut up. She always rambled when she was anxious and it annoyed the crap out of me as it was, but first thing in the morning was _not_ the best time to irritate me.

"Sorry, I'm nervous. I don't want you to be mad at me - you scare me when you're mad." _Oh Christ. Way to work the guilt trip._

"Relax. I'm not pissed, per se...I just kind of want to know what you're up to. I mean...seriously, Angela...you're Jake's _sister_." Angela may have been a year older than me, but in so many ways, it felt as though she was my younger sister and it was very unnerving to me that she had any involvement in anything that may or may not happen between me and Edward. The last thing I needed was for her to run to Jake and fill him in on the whole thing.

Angela took a deep breath, blowing it out into the receiver. "Bella, come on. Do you really think my intentions were anything but good? I'm kind of hurt that you don't trust me after all this time. I mean, I thought it was pretty obvious that my loyalty has always been to you in this whole thing you have going on with my brother...you know that right?"

_God, I'm a shit. _How could I not trust her? She has never done anything that would make me think could I really be mad at her for giving a gorgeous, intelligent, single man my number?_ At least I _think_ he's single... Dear Bella, find out if Edward is single. _

"Listen...I'm not mad. In fact, I'm sorry for doubting you." I started to smell something coming from the kitchen and needed to go investigate. My senses told me my brother was making his famous chocolate chip pancakes and I was going to have to hurry if I wanted to get any before Alice inhaled them all."Um, Ang, I need to go. My brother made breakfast and you know what a pig Alice can be...I want to get some before it's gone. We're good, though. Just do me a favor and _warn_ me if you're going to do something like that again, ok?"

"You got it. Thanks, Bella. I'll see you Tuesday! Enjoy your weekend."

"You, too. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and jumped up from my bed, running into my connecting bathroom as fast as I could and then dashing down to the kitchen. Emmett was standing at the stove in a pair of dark green pajama pants and no shirt. I was thankful he had on more than his boxers but felt like slapping him upside the head because I knew he was trying to give Alice some eye candy by showing off his well defined chest. There was no denying Emmett had a nice body and he liked to use it to his advantage whenever he had the opportunity. However, after our talk the previous night, I was under the impression we had an understanding that doing so with Alice was _not_ ok. It was apparent I had been wrong.

Alice was sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar, as usual, kicking her legs like a little girl who was waiting for a grown up to give her some candy. She looked up at me when she saw me come around the corner and enter the kitchen with the biggest shit eating grin I had ever seen. I silently wondered how long they had been up together and what they had been up to while I was still in my room. As soon as she opened her mouth, I knew. "Good morning my little _Stinker_bellarina." _You are _both_ dead to me. Dead and buried. _

Emmett's was standing with his back to me, but I saw him double over and his body stiffen as he tried to hold back his laughter. I snuck up behind, watching his shoulders shake as he laughed silently and smacked him across the back of the head, hard. "Ouch!" He ducked further to avoid another swing from me and grabbed the back of his head, cursing under his breath.

"You, two, fucking suck. And I hate you. Both." I glared at Alice for emphasis as she snickered under her breath.

Emmett twisted to look at Alice and they both started cracking up. I walked over to sit next to Alice at the breakfast bar and she flinched, waiting for my retaliation. I glared at her as I took my seat on the stool next to her, ignoring her and making her squirm. I was never one to back down, but I was too fucking tired to deal with her - I'd just let her worry about it in the meantime. _Oh, Alice,_ y_ou better hope your annoying little nicknames are all the two of you talked about because if I find out you said one word about Edward to my brother, I will kill you with my bare hands._

Emmett brought over a plate of pancakes for me, giving me a sheepish grin and shrugging his shoulders in a half assed apology. He'd known me my entire life and I'd made it very clear that I was _not _a morning person. And Alice had lived with me for three years - there was no doubt sheknew as well. I could just envision them both laughing hysterically as they plotted against me at the butt crack of dawn. Who got up early on a Sunday voluntarily? Not fucking me, that's for sure. But these two not only got up early but also looked for ways to piss me off even more than I already was in the morning. God, they both made me sick and yet I couldn't help but fight a smile. As much as I hated them right at that moment, I loved them both even more. _Fuckers. God help me if their morning joy is contagious - I won't be able to stand myself._

Emmett poured me a cup of coffee and slid it across the breakfast bar with a huge shit eating grin on his face. I looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle. _Crap. The Good Humor Twins are getting to me._

"Put a shirt on you smug motherfucker." I gave him my best scowl, trying to fight off the urge to laugh.

"Whatever you say, Stinkerbell."

_Dead._

* * *

Alice, Emmett and I spent Sunday unpacking Emmett's shit and relaxing by the pool. I tried to focus my attention on what I was doing all day, but my mind kept wandering back to Edward. Even when Jake called and Emmett started in with the fucking Spanish Inquisition about who's calls I was avoiding, I couldn't help but think about his text, trying to decide what I was going to do...if anything. There were so many reasons _not _to contact him - the most prominent being the fact that I knew my brother would be livid if I did - but I still wasn't sure that was enough to convince me to stay away from him.

Then, there was Jake. What the fuck was I going to do about Jake? I had worked so hard to be the independent woman I was and I refused to let someone treat me like a piece of property. I had made that fact very clear to him on more than one occasion but he never listened to me. He just did whatever the fuck he wanted to do. And right now, he just wanted to control me. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't cooperating. Not one to give up, he was relentless with his phone calls and even though I didn't want to, I knew I was going to have to face him sooner or later.

Alice, ever the informer, filled Emmett in on all the gory details about my relationship with Jake as she and I laid by the pool that evening and he grilled some steaks for dinner. As much as I gave her shit about having a big mouth, this time, I was relieved that she was doing my dirty work for me - Emmett was so hot he was practically blowing smoke out of his ears after Alice put her spin on the whole thing. And Alice's "spin" was not pretty. She told him exactly what she thought about Jake...which wasn't much. By the time we sat down to dinner, and my phone rang _yet again_, Emmett was trying to pry it out of my hands so he could answer it and give Jake a piece of his mind. _Note to self: Do _not _introduce Emmett to Jake. Then again... Oh Bella, you're such a pussy...you can _not _hide behind your brother. Big girl panties, Bella. Find them and put them on. It's time._

Emmett turned in early since his first day of work was the following morning, leaving Alice and I to finally talk about Edward. I was at a point of no return with my obsessing over Edward and was actually grateful to have an opportunity to discuss my options with someone other than myself. We opened a bottle of Merlot, put on our pajamas and settled in front of the fireplace on our back patio. It was still too hot to actually have the fire going, but that was the place we always went to clear our heads or discuss something and we were never ones to break tradition.

Alice took a drink and leaned back in her chair, waiting for me to initiate the conversation. When it became apparent that I wasn't going to, she sighed loudly and took matters into her own hands.

"Have you called him?"

"No."

"What?!" She sat straight up in her chair, almost spilling her wine on her bare legs. "Did you _text _him? Please tell me you at least texted him, Bella!"

"Nope."

"What the _fuck _are you waiting for? You do realize how hot he is, right?! And that this aforementioned _hot _man - who, by the way, will be wearing a motherfucking police uniform in a few short weeks - as well as carrying a very useful pair of handcuffs- was completely taken by you._ You, _dumbass. Why would you _not_ have jumped all over that?"

She looked at me like I had two heads and I felt myself shrinking in my chair. Why the fuck hadn't I called him or at the very least texted him? I knew I wanted to and no matter how hard I tried to come up with reasons not to, none of them ever seemed to be good enough. "I really don't know, Alice. I _want_ to talk to him but I feel like I shouldn't want to. Emmett would fucking _kill _me and seriously bust Edward's balls without thinking twice. Do I really want to put him through that?"

"For Christ's sake, Bella...did you _see_ Edward? I think he's strong enough to survive anything Emmett can dish out. Besides, it's not like you have to tell him. Just tell Eddie boy to keep it on the DL for the time being. If he wants to talk to you as much as it seems he does, I'm sure he'll cooperate."

She was right, as usual, so I relented. "Fine. I'll text him but I'm not calling him yet. I'm going to take things really slow with him - I don't need another Jake on my hands."

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Um, Bella? Jake may be good looking and all, but there is no comparison between the two. Something tells me you've met your match in Edward. And God knows, it's going to take a good man to put up with your whiny ass." She always had to ruin the moment. _Bitch._

I laid in bed after Alice and I had polished off the bottle of wine and called it quits for the night and debated whether I should text Edward or wait until morning. I knew he had to get up early and I didn't want to disturb him, but at the same time, I was filled with an overwhelming need to have some kind of connection with him before I went to sleep. My mind wandered to images of him in the standard police uniform..._not to mention what he looks like _out _of his uniform. Yum. Focus, Bella! Text the guy before you mindfuck him, for crying out loud._

I reached over to my night table and picked up my Blackberry. My hands were shaking and I wanted to punch myself for being such a fucking pussy. I had never had the butterflies that this man gave me, but for some reason thinking of him made all of my normal reactions malfunction, along with my brain. I took a deep breath and found his text in my phone, hit reply and texted him.

**U told me 2 use ur number soon so I thought I'd wish u a nite of sweet dreams b4 u enter the gates of Hell tmrw. Someone told me ur Sgt. is brutal. ;) -Bella**

My heart was pounding as I hit send and tossed the phone onto my bed like it was on fucking fire or something. _No going back now, sweets. You've opened the door and now you just have to wait and see what happens. Oh yeah, and brace yourself for the shitstorm that's coming your way when Emmett finds out. _

There was no way I was going to fall asleep with my heart pounding out of my chest and my mind swirling with thoughts of Edward...and Emmett...and Jake. I turned on the TV across from my bed and settled in to watch a re-run of "That 70's Show" to take my mind off things and help me relax when I felt my phone vibrate against my foot. _Holy shit, he's still awake._

Picking up the phone, I held my breath as I read his text and knew the moment that I did that I was completely and totally screwed. _You are smooth, Police Recruit FuckMeEyes. I'm going to have to be very careful with you or you'll have me reduced to a swooning teenager before I know it. Who are you kidding, Bella? It's way too late for that...you're already there._

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**EPOV**

I had been in Phoenix for only three days and already had no idea what to do with myself. The movers had delivered all of my belongings from Forks on Thursday afternoon, shortly after I had arrived at the house I had purchased prior to my move. Soon thereafter, all my brand new furniture was delivered as well. My mother, Esme, had arranged everything for me and I was not shocked at how perfectly it had all fallen into place. This was her livelihood and she was very good at what she did. The news of my move had been hard on both of my parents, as I was their only child and came from a close knit family. So when they asked that I let them help me make the move as seamless as possible, I couldn't say no. My father, Carlisle, took a relatively hands off approach, offering endless financial support, as well as guidance whenever I needed it - but, unlike my mother, my father understood my need to take a bigger step into manhood and be more self-sufficient. My mother wasn't fond of that idea and had insisted on overseeing my entire move, knowing this would probably be her last chance to do so. At first, I had been annoyed and took her resistance as a knock to my independence but after my father explained how difficult my leaving was going to be on her, I relented and I was currently very relieved I had. I would have never been able to achieve what Esme had on my own - there was no doubt in my mind about that.

I looked around at my gorgeous new home and for the first time in my life, really realized how fucking lucky I was. I had never taken my upbringing for granted, but I knew I had always had it easier than others. I came from a long line of doctors - my father was a surgeon, as was my grandfather and his father before that. When he passed away, my grandfather had left everything he had to be split 50/50 between my father and I, with the understanding that my father would control my inheritance till the age of consent - which, according to my grandfather's will, was twenty one. Unbeknownst to me, Carlisle decided to invest my share in order to provide a solid nest egg for me and by the time my twenty first birthday rolled around, I had more than enough money to live off of comfortably for the rest of my life.

Still, like both of my parents, I wanted a career of my own. I knew I wanted to do something meaningful, but had no desire to follow in my father's footsteps and become a doctor. I had always been intrigued by the law - to the point where Esme had been convinced I would go to law school after high school and pursue a career as a lawyer or a judge. I had seriously considered that idea but came to the conclusion that I didn't want to be in a suit or behind a desk for the rest of my life - I wanted to get my hands dirty and _really_ make a difference. I knew both Esme and Carlisle were surprised when I sat down to dinner with them one night, my senior year of high school, and informed them that I had decided I wanted to be a police officer. My mother freaked out, laying out every scenario she could come up with as to why I shouldn't pursue something that was so dangerous and could get her baby hurt. As usual, my father was the voice of reason and although he said he hadn't expected this career choice, he was very proud of me for wanting to make a difference in the world and made a point to eye my mother when he told me they would _both _support my decision one hundred percent. I could _always_ count on Carlisle - he had never once in my life given me any reason to doubt that.

Moving away from my family had been one of the most difficult decisions I had been faced with in my twenty three years but with the economy the way it was, there were virtually no job openings in law enforcement after I had graduated college. I knew the fact that I had a degree would be work in my favor somewhere, so I decided to broaden my horizons and applied with departments all over the United States. I was relieved when Phoenix invited me to come test for one of their openings - it wasn't _too_ far from home and would be an amazing change of weather for me after living in the Pacific Northwest my entire life. I had made frequent trips to Phoenix during the hiring process for interviews, a psych evaluation and finally, my oral boards during which I had fallen in love with the desert landscape and blue skies - quite a difference from the perpetual grey skies and rain that I had become accustomed to in Forks. I had no idea at the time what I was in for come summer, especially with all the running I had to do to stay on top of my game for the Police Academy - which started in two days. I had been warned the first few weeks would be like military boot camp and there was no way I was going to give my Sergeant any reason to think I wasn't in the best shape possible. When I did something, I did it all the way - and this would for fucking sure not be any different.

After going for a run, followed by a few laps in the pool, I decided I should run out and get a quick haircut. There were certain guidelines that had to be met during my time at the Academy in regard to personal grooming and after taking a look in the mirror when I got out of the shower, I knew I was not within those guidelines. I dried off, throwing my towel over the glass shower door, and threw on a pair of faded blue jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt with a pair of gray Chucks. It was too fucking hot for long sleeves, but I still hadn't found the boxes all my warmer weather clothes had been packed in so I had to make due with what I could find and I knew without a doubt that I was going to sweat my balls off as soon as I left the cool confines of my air conditioned house. I walked out into the garage, opening the door to my silver Volvo and sinking into the searing black leather driver's seat. Pushing the button on my garage door opener on the visor above my head, I put on my Ray Bans and pulled out into the scorching sun as I debated driving to the nearest dealership and trading my fucking baby in for a one with upholstered seats - but I knew I couldn't part with it. _Jesus Christ, it's October and it feels like it's the middle of summer. I guess I better expand my summer wardrobe before I die from this motherfucking heat._

I stopped at a gas station near my house and struck up a conversation with the blonde who was at the pump next to me and practically fucking me with her eyes. She was decent looking but a freaking tanorexic and _so _not my type, but I figured if she was going to gawk, I'd at least get some helpful information out of her. Being new in town, I had no idea where to go for pretty much _anything _and since my appearance always seemed to help me with the ladies, I decided this was the time to use it to my advantage. Not like I never had before. That shit came in handy. Since I knew there was no way I would do anything other than drive home and jump back in the shower after my haircut, I decided to hit the Macy's at Chandler Fashion Center before going to the hair salon the blonde was going on and on about when I asked her where she got her hair done. She may have been a little trashy, but her hair was nice so I felt safe taking her overwhelmingly strong recommendation.

The mall was packed and put me in a fucking pissed off mood - the heat I entered into when I got in my car after it had sat outside in the sun did not help matters. _They need a fucking parking garage at this place. What the fuck is wrong with these people? Do they not know how fucking hot it is here?! Christ! And fuck these leather seats - my ass is on fire! _

I cranked the air conditioning and pulled out of my parking spot, heading back towards home on the Loop 202. Eclipse Salon and Day Spa, which the blonde had told me about earlier, was actually not too far from home so I was really hoping I ended up finding a good hairstylist. Two days before starting the police academy really wasn't the time to be experimenting with my hair, but I really needed the trim and didn't want to take a chance that I'd get shit on my first day about not being within academy regulations. It was going to be torture enough without having to deal with that bullshit on top of everything else. _I really hope that blonde oompa loompa knows what she's talking about or I'm going to end up shaving my head before line-up Monday morning._

The salon was exactly what Blondie had described. From the outside, it appeared to be a huge house surrounded by a parking lot and across the street from an insanely packed strip mall. When I opened the door and walked in, I was greeted by a reception area that could have doubled for a large comfortable living room filled with a sectional couch, coffee table and even a flat screen TV. It was inherently clear that the owner's had spared no expense to create a comfortable yet elegant, homey feel. Past the reception area was a large open area with hardwood floors and four hairstylist chairs and to the left of the stylist stations was a grand staircase leading upstairs to what I would have assumed was at one time a kitchen and bedrooms. The salon seemed busy, as I would have expected it to be on a Saturday afternoon and in the mood I was in, I doubted I'd be lucky enough to get in for a quick trim.

When I approached the cute dark haired receptionist behind the desk, she was chatting with an older man with a French accent and I got the distinct impression their interraction was somewhat tense, so I stood back and waited patiently in an effort not to interrupt. When I overheard her mention something about someone being upset that they would now have an opening in the middle of a busy Saturday, I took that as my queue to step in and, hopefully, claim the appointment for myself. The man, who introduced himself as Laurent, shook my hand and thanked me for circumventing what he explained was some kind of uncomfortable situation, chuckling as he turned to return to the blonde woman who was sitting in his chair waiting for him. I couldn't help but smile at my good fortune as I sat down on the couch and picked up a Sports Illlustrated to read while waiting.

A few minutes later, I heard heels clicking on the hardwood floor and looked up to see a petite, exotic-looking, dark haired woman wearing tight red jeans and a black and white top. She looked at me in what could only be explained as awe as another dark haired woman swung around the corner from behind her, crashing into her. I smiled awkwardly and diverted my eyes back to the article I had been reading, so as not to seem like I was staring. A few seconds later, I heard some chatter between the two of them before one of them called my name. I looked up again but this time my gaze was met by the most extraordinary pair of brown eyes I had ever seen. "Yep, that's me," I said, closing the magazine and tossing it on the glass coffee table as I stood up and extended my hand to shake hers.

My eyes took her in and I was overwhelmed at how so much beauty could be contained in such a small woman. She had long chocolate colored hair that cascaded down her back in an abundance of waves with some lighter pieces framing her face. She was wearing a sexy champagne colored, sleeveless silk top with form fitting dark blue jeans that hugged her body in all the right places. She shook my hand and I felt some weird spark between the two of us, which I was certain she also felt as she audibly gasped and dropped my hand like it was on fire, motioning towards her station.

She followed behind me as I walked to her chair, watching her in the mirror as she ogled my ass. The entire way. _Oh yeah, I saw that shit. _I sat in her chair and couldn't help but smile when her eyes met mine in the mirror. "Uh, hi, I'm Bella," she seemed to stutter, fastening a black cape around my neck. _Bella...what a fitting name. _She was uncomfortable and I found that fact extremely endearing. So, being the cocky bastard I was, I spun the chair around to face her as I thanked her for squeezing me in on such short notice - just as quickly, she spun me back to face the mirror, blushing furiously. _Oh,_ _Bella, why do you seem so shy when something tells me you're anything but?_

Bella seemed to shake off her nervousness as she took on the role of hairstylist and asked me how I wanted my hair cut. I didn't expect the reaction I got in my crotch as she gently ran her little fingers through my hair - she was very professional, but my cock was thinking about a completely different kind of business as it began to harden with every stroke of her hand. Thank God the cape disguised my little issue from Bella. _Wait, did I say little? It is definitely _not_ little. _If she saw the bulge I had in my pants, I seriously doubted she would ever touch me in any capacity again and I was just not willing to accept that as a possibility. _And either is my dick._

We fell into comfortable conversation as she led me down the hall, across from what looked like a manicure room where the chick who had eyefucked me earlier was working. Just as soon as I'd gotten my dick to take a breather and back the fuck off, she started shampooing me and my raging hard on was back in all its glory. _Fuck me. Please and thank you. _It became glaringly obvious to me that this was going to be an issue whenever she touched me and I really had no idea why. Yes, she was beautiful...and smart...and funny...but I'd met lots of women that fit that description and none of them had ever had this effect on me - especially not to the extent Bella did. My cock and I were definitely in agreement - we had to have her - and I had to figure out how to make that happen.

As she was finishing up my cut and I was trying to devise a plan to get her phone number so I could see her outside of work, I heard her laugh quietly and wondered what she was thinking. I had just finished explaining to her why I had relocated to the Phoenix area and had no idea what could have amused her about what I had said. Granted, I loved the sound of her laugh, but I needed to know the why behind the laugh or it would drive me crazy. "What's so funny?"

"You're not going to believe this, but my father is Chief Swan and it just so happens my brother, Emmett, is your instructor. He just moved back from the Chicago area and is starting with Phoenix on Monday, with your class." _You have _got _to be fucking kidding me - I must be getting Punk'd. I'm fucking drooling over the Chief's daughter...the _sister _of my Sargeant?! This is not good..._

Even though I knew I could end up seriously regretting it, I knew there was no walking away from her - if I did, I would always look back and wonder what might have happened if I had just _tried._ I had never walked away from a challenge before and even though this one could end up costing me a lot if it ended badly, I knew I had to take the chance because I was drawn to her and there was no other choice for me than to pursue her. It was in that moment of determined clarity that I devised a plan of action to obtain Bella's number and get to know her better.

Bella cracked me up as we chatted and joked around while she finished my hair and when she walked me up to the desk, leaving me with the receptionist, I knew what I had to do. First, I had to book another appointment with her because not only was she amazing to look at and fun to be around, she was also really good at what she did. Second, I had to charm her number out of the receptionist and although I rarely had issues getting anything out of a woman, I wasn't sure how much of a longshot this task was going to be. Lucky for me - and for Bella, I hoped - the receptionist was putty in my hands. As soon as she saw the fifty I pulled out to give to Bella as a tip, I could have asked her for anything and I think she would have given it to me. So, when I leaned really close and asked her for Bella's number, she quickly grabbed a business card, wrote it down and handed it to me._ Haven't lost your touch yet, Eddie boy. Ok...I should _not _call myself that...no one should call me that. Ever._

Before I left, I walked over to give Bella her tip and decided to go in for the kill and leave her with a little something to think about. She was doing a horrible imitation of someone sweeping up hair while keeping an eye on me to see what I was up to with the receptionist. I had to admit that I got a lot of satisfaction out of the fact that she was watching me - it encouraged me to think that she might be as interested in me as I was in her. And if I had any hopes of getting anywhere with her, it was imperative that she was interested enough to overlook any opposition she might receive from her brother and father if things progressed the way I was hoping they would. When I reached her, I stopped right behind her and touched her arm to get her to stop sweeping. Her skin was so soft and she smelled so fucking good. It took every ounce of control I had to focus as I leaned forward and quietly said in her ear, "Do you think I'd win points with your brother if I told him how beautiful I think his sister is?"

I didn't let her respond. Instead, I dropped the fifty on her station, put on my Ray Bans and high tailed it out of there. When I got back into my hot motherfucking Volvo, I blasted the a/c as I pulled her card out of my wallet, where I had put it for safekeeping, and texted her. I heard nothing in return.

I spent the entire day Sunday checking my iPhone to see if Bella had called or texted and each time I saw there was nothing, I felt myself becoming more and more disillusioned. I should have been focusing on preparing myself for the mental beating I was going to experience the following day, but the waiting was fucking with my head and I couldn't concentrate on anything but this woman I barely knew. Normally, I would have expected an immediate response to a text like that - I couldn't remember a time that I had ever had to work for a woman's attention in my life...not even when I was little and all of my mother's friends would pinch my cheeks and tell me how cute I was...I was surprised I had any teeth left after all the candy they had given me throughout the years. But I knew from the minute I laid eyes on her that Bella was different than any other woman I had ever met in my life. That was why I had wanted her so badly...why I had flirted shamelessly with her, gotten her phone number and then texted her before I even left the parking lot. She was intelligent, independent and successful - coming from a small town where everyone knows how wealthy your family is, I was used to women wanting me for my money; wanting me to take care of them. Bella didn't strike me as the kind of person that wanted anyone to take care of her - much less a man - and that intrigued me and made me want her even more. I had a feeling she was going to make me work for her, but something told me she was more than worth it.

I was in the middle of laying out my black suit, white shirt and black tie which was to be my uniform for the first five weeks of the Academy when her text finally came in late Sunday night. I took a deep breath before looking at it, not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised when I read it - it was cute and flirty, just like Bella, and I tried to accomplish the same thing when I responded.

**I'm glad u get such enjoyment from my impending doom. Since u FINALLY texted me back, my dreams will be sweet 4 sure now. Nite. -Edward**

I put my phone on the charger, set my alarm and laid down in bed with a huge grin on my face. I knew for a fact at that moment that I was already in over my head with this girl and I couldn't have cared less. _I don't know about the sweet part, but you'll definitely be having dreams about Bella tonight. And tomorrow night, and the night after... Jesus, Edward, you are in SO much trouble with this one._

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**Ok, now that you read it, if you review, I'll send Copward to your house...with his handcuffs. ;)**


	3. Splitting Hairs

**A/N: I just wanted to take a minute to apologize for my delay in posting. I was sick for about a week and then RL decided to kick my sorry ass afterwards...so it took me a little longer than expected. I hope it was worth the wait! ;)**

**As usual, I want to thank my beautiful beta Britpacksuccubus for all of her amazing help.**

**I also want to take a moment to pimp a fic to you before you head off to read and that's Son of a Preacher Man by LaViePastiche. I have been reading this story since she posted the first chapter and have been pimping it all over Twitter, so I thought I should do it here, as well. If you're not reading this one, you definitely should. LVP is amazing and her fic is one of my absolute FAVES! :) The link is in my favorites on my profile, as well. **

**Outfits are in my profile, as usual.**

**Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight. I own Copward and Snarkella. (Thanks to ilsuocantate for the "Snarkella" nickname)**

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**BPOV**

"We need to talk," I said, taking a drink of my Diet Coke and leaning back into my chair. I had asked Jake to meet me at Keegan's for lunch in the middle of a busy day at the salon, thinking it would be easier to break things off in public...where there were witnesses. Whenever I had attempted to end things before - which had been about three times already - he had blown up and either intimidated me or guilted me into staying with him. And this time, I was not having it. It was Friday and Edward and I had been texting back and forth for almost a week. Even though we hadn't seen each other or even talked on the phone, I didn't feel right allowing Jake to cling to the hope that we could work things out when I knew there was absolutely no possibility that we would.

He took a deep breath, crossing his bare arms over his muscular chest and glaring at me. We had barely spoken since the night I found out Emmett was moving back. Deep down, he had to know this was inevitable - there was no way he didn't - but Jake was a stubborn motherfucker and I knew he wasn't going to let me go without a fight. _Which is why we're in public right now, Asshat. _

"What's his name?" he asked me through gritted teeth.

My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. Had Angela said something to him? _She better hope she hasn't._ I did _not_ need the fact that Edward and I had become friends to complicate things - I hadn't done anything wrong and wanted to rectify the situation between Jake and I before I did. And, if I was being honest, as much as I knew I _should _feel some guilt for everything, I couldn't...and I didn't. The fact of the matter was that whether I had met Edward or not, things were over between Jake and I months ago and I didn't want him to think it had anything to do with anyone but the two of us. But, I knew Jake liked to play the blame game, which infuriated me and I wasn't going to let him turn things around on me again - like he had so many times before.

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about Jake?"

"Do you really think I'm that stupid, Bella? Things were fine between us and then all of a sudden, you went cold. You can't tell me there's no one else. We both know that's bullshit."

"No, seriously, Jake...what the FUCK are you talking about?" I tried to keep my voice down, but the anger inside of me was building and I had to keep reminding myself I was in public. "Where do you live, Fantasy Island? Because I live here," I said, waving my hands around frantically, like a fucking maniac, "in _reality_. You should join me sometime."

"Oh right, I don't live in reality. That's a good one, Bella." He slammed his beer down on the table and leaned closer to me, lowering his voice as the intimidation tactics began. _Too fucking bad it won't work this time, Douchebag. _"You don't live in reality, you live in 'Bellaland' and whenever I don't subscribe to the shit you're handing out, I'm out of my mind, right? Right. Whatever helps you sleep better at night. You and I both fucking know that whatever the issue is between us has _nothing_ to do with any wrong doing on my part. All I have ever done is supported you, loved you and wanted you - every part of you, no matter how difficult you make things."

Jake looked at me with the smirk of self satisfaction on his face and I had to fight the urge to take my zebra striped peep toe pump off and stab him with it. It wasn't just the fact that those words had come out of his mouth, but more that he actually _believed_ them. He was fucking certifiable if he thought I was going to buy what he was selling. He could tell it to himself all he wanted but he was _never_ going to convince me that he was the innocent victim...I knew better.

I glanced at my watch, knowing I had a limited amount of time to get this done and over with. I pushed my chef's salad away from me on the table and took in a deep breath, counting to ten and trying to calm myself down before I lost any semblance of cool I had left. "You know, Jake, if it makes you feel better to see me as the bad guy in this scenario, then so be it. I'm okay with that. But, fact of the matter is, no matter what you think of me or what you think my reasons are_...this_," I motioned my hand between my body and his for emphasis, "is over."

I reached down for my green Zagliani handbag, pulling it onto the lap of my black capri pants and rifled through my wallet for some money. I knew Jake would never let me have the final word, but I figured I'd pretend like the conversation was over, since I was really hoping that it was. _Yeah, you're not that lucky, Dumbass. It's never that easy with him...ever._

As I pulled out enough money to cover the entire bill, along with a generous tip, Jake slammed his fist down on the table, commanding my focus, once again. He inhaled deeply and looked at me with a pair of menacing black eyes. "So, that's IT?" He spat his words at me and I became increasingly aware that his anger was starting to build at an alarming rate. "You just say it's over and it's over? You walk away and I have no say? I don't fucking think so, Bella! This is _far_ from over." His voice was eerily quiet but firm and the hair on the back of my neck stood at full attention. He wasn't fucking around, I could tell. And I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he wasn't just trying to scare me, he was full on threatening me.

Jake had always had a very passive-aggressive nature and, like an idiot, I'd usually just succumb to his intimidations and manipulations because I just didn't care enough to fight him on it. This time was different. He was seriously scaring me, but I would be damned if I was going to let him know that. I was the daughter of the motherfucking Chief of Police - fucking with me was _not _a smart move and it was time for Jacob Black to stand up and take notice because Bella Swan was _not _going down without a fight. _That's right, Shithead. I may be small, but I have balls of steel and I'm not afraid to use them! Ok, so they may not be _my _balls, but I'm still using them, anyway. _

Standing up, I contemplated my next move as I tugged on the hem of my ruffled, emerald green, silk blouse, which matched the color of Edward's eyes perfectly. The subtle reminder of Edward, along with the fact that my ginormous, asskicking, meathead of a brother was now living with me, gave me the strength to face Jake down with a sneer that matched his own as I gave him a dark chuckle and a warning, "It would be in your best interest to rethink your threats, Jake - I don't take them lightly and I'm quite certain both my father _and _my brother would not either. As soon as I leave, they will _both _know what transpired here - and so help me _God _if you come anywhere near me _ever _again, you _will _regret it. We. Are. Done."

I turned around and walked away, making it a point to pull out my Blackberry and start dialing so he had no doubt that I meant what I said. My hands were shaking, but somehow I was able to get Charlie on the phone before I was outside of the restaurant. To say he was pissed would be an understatement, but talking to him about it helped calm my nerves. No matter how serious Jake was, and I was pretty sure he was _not_ messing around, I knew for certain that I would be safe - Charlie and Emmett would make sure of it - and somehow, I had a feeling Edward would, too. _You better fucking hope so, Bella..._

* * *

Rose was waiting for me when I walked back into the salon fifteen minutes later. "So, how'd it go?" She was sitting on the couch in the reception area, tidying up the magazines and patted the spot next to her on the sofa, motioning for me to sit down. I flopped down next to her and put my head on her shoulder, allowing her to comfort me for a brief moment. I knew it wouldn't last, it never did. As sweet as Rose was, when we were at work, she was so business oriented that she had a hard time focusing on anything else. But, like her sister, they were both Nosey Nellies and since Alice was working on a pedicure, it was left up to Rose to find out what had happened during my luncheon of fuckery. Because Angela worked with us, I decided it was best to downplay it for the time being. Once I talked to Emmett, Alice would know what had occurred, which, of _course_ meant Rosalie would be privvy to the entire situation, as well. Now just wasn't the time.

"It did _not _go well," I sighed, "but it's over. Thank fucking God. _Man_, he is _such _an asshole! How the _hell _did I ever have any feelings other than hatred for that dickhead? Ugh. I piss myself off right now."

Rosalie chuckled and shrugged the shoulder I was leaning on so I would lift my head and she could turn to face me. "You know I love you, Bella, but _come on..._you_ had _to know he wasn't going to just walk away without some kind of fight. You're too smart to think that would ever fucking happen." I couldn't help but laugh, which I'm sure pissed her off because she was looking me in the eyes and being all serious and shit. But, hearing her sweet voice say "fucking" always amused me and after the hour I had just endured, I was in dire need of a laugh. It hadn't escaped my recognition that she had acquired such a foul mouth from spending so much time with me and Alice. When I first met her, she'd swear here and there, but it was commonplace with her now, just like it was with us - we were such bad influences. "What are you, two, Bella? Every fucking time I swear, you giggle." I couldn't help it, I laughed again. I was like a five year old boy snickering because someone farted and no matter how hard I tried to control my laughter, I couldn't.

I snorted and Rosalie shoved me, making me topple over onto the couch as she stood up and smoothed out her grey pinstripe pants and wine colored silk shirt. "You're such a brat," she said as she tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle her giggle. _That's right bitch, you know it's funny. _She walked over to the reception desk and started to rifle through some papers, trying to look serious and business-like so I'd stop giving her a hard time.

"Are you going out with us for dinner?" Alice and I had barely seen much of Emmett since he started work on Monday. He kept such early hours that he was usually gone before either of us were even up in the morning and in bed by the time we got home. Most nights, we closed the salon between nine and ten and by the time we were all cleaned up, paperwork was done and we made it home, it was almost eleven. Emmett had to be at the academy by five am most mornings so he rarely stayed up past ten. The only day all three of us were home was Sunday - and Sundays had always been for running errands and catching up on cleaning around the house, which we did together but, as Emmett reminded me, it was _not _fun. So, since we closed early on Friday nights and he didn't work Saturday's, Emmett decided Friday nights were to be set aside for the three of us to hang out and do something fun. Secretly, I assumed it was all a ploy for him to spend more time with Alice outside of the house, but I really didn't care - she hadn't given me any indication that she thought of him in any way other than brotherly. Besides, I'd cut his dick off with my shears before I'd let him put it anywhere near her. _Who needs neices or nephews, anyway?_

Rosalie sighed, "I don't know, Bella. I have a ton of paperwork to catch up on and I just feel like going home and opening a bottle of wine and relaxing." She was _such _an old lady sometimes, it drove me crazy.

"Oh Jesus, Rose, you're coming out with us. For fuck's sake, it's Friday night and we close at seven. Only geriatrics go home that early and only alcoholics drink a bottle of wine by themselves. Besides, you haven't met my brother yet." She didn't say anything, which meant she knew I was right and was giving in - she had learned long ago that arguing with me or Alice was usually pointless, so she rarely attempted it. "Emmett will be here before we close. He's staying late at work to kill some time and brought clothes to change into so we can leave from here."

Just as I finished my sentence, the door swung open and my next appointment breezed in, late as usual. I gave her a huge smile and stood up to give her a hug. "Hey, Irina! I'm so glad you're here!"

"Sorry I'm late, Sweetie. I was on a conference call and couldn't get out of the office in time. You know how it is."

I winked at her. She was a total pain in the ass, but she had been coming to me since the day we opened the salon in Scottsdale and had followed me when we had relocated. If there was one thing I knew, it was that you couldn't put a price on loyalty - and even though she was constantly late and pickier than any client I had ever had, she adored me and sung my praises to anyone who would listen - and knowing her, probably even to those who wouldn't. "Come on back, my Dear. We have lots to do and not enough time to do it in," I said in a cheery voice, placing my hand on her back and leading her towards my station. I looked back at Rosalie as we passed her and rolled my eyes. She giggled as we walked away, thankful I was too busy to bother her any longer. _Enjoy it while you can, Blondie...you're coming with us, whether you want to or not. _

The afternoon flew by, keeping me from dwelling on my my conflict with Jake for too long. I had resolved to fill Emmett in later and trust that he and Charlie would stay on top of the situation for awhile and that Jake was too smart to really follow through with his threatening behavior, anyway. Jake was no brain surgeon, but did it really take one of those to realize that screwing with the police chief's daughter wasn't in his best interest? _I fucking hope not, because if it does, I'm in serious trouble. _I knew I could drive myself crazy with worry over it if I let myself stew on the whole thing too long, so I did what I always did - threw myself into my work - and mixed in some naughty thoughts of Edward throughout the day for entertainment value. _Why not? I deserve a little joy after the fucked up lunch I had today, don't I? Hell to the yes! Oh my God, I'm now channelling Whitney Houston circa "Being Bobby Brown"...and the fact that I remember the name of that show makes this whole situation even more pathetic._

I was actually starting to worry a little because I hadn't heard from Edward since the early morning hours, which was unusual. Since we had begun texting on Sunday night, he had fallen into a routine of texting me as soon as he woke up, on his lunch break and before he went to sleep, every day without fail - and usually a lot of times in between, as well. My evenings, especially, were consumed with the back and forth of our messages - during which we had actually learned quite a bit about each other. Not physically being in each other's presence had allowed us to really open up to each other rather quickly and I found myself depending on hearing from him more and more with each passing day. It floored me that I hadn't even met him a week ago and yet I was already - quite alarmingly - attached to him. I had finally filled him in on my situation with Jake during our texts the night before and started to really wonder if I had fucked up by doing so. He knew I was meeting with Jake for lunch and he had been really supportive, telling me he'd text me during his lunch, as usual, to check in on me - and yet, I had heard nothing. He hadn't even responded when I texted him to let him know I had followed through and ended things with Jake, which shocked me even further. I kept checking my phone every chance I had and every time I was greeted with my wallpaper staring back at me rather than a text alert, it became more and more agonizing. And that just made me feel pathetic and weak...I had never gotten this way over a man...and I really wasn't sure why not hearing from Edward made me feel this way. _What the fuck did he do to me?_

By the time I put my last client under the dryer so her color could process, I had worked myself up into a frenzy - I was like a crack addict jonesing for a hit off the old crack pipe and it pissed me off beyond belief that I was so wrapped up in this guy after such a short time. _Get a fucking grip, Bella! No man is worth this much stress...not even Police Recruit FuckMeEyes. Yeah, even I don't buy that shit. _

I had finally resigned myself to hating him because he was blowing me off - and I was going to be bitter about it, whether it was mature to do so or not - when Angela came in the front door, practically running over to me with a look on her face that I couldn't decipher. "Hey, Bella?" She must have recognized the annoyed look on my face as she was approaching me because she seemed almost apprehensive to tell me whatever it was that she had had to say.

"Yes, Angela? What can I do for you?"

"Um, don't freak out, ok?"

"Angela, I promise you that if you don't just fucking spit it out and tell me what the Hell you want, I'm going to do more than just freak out. I've had a long day, made even longer after having lunch with your brother, and I'm not in the mood for anymore bullshit. Just say it...whatever it is."

"I just came back from the bank and..." she trailed off like she was trying to decide what to say to me, "I think you should go look at your car." She looked terrified as she spat out the words all at once without taking a breath.

I inhaled sharply and looked at her in shock, my mind trying to unscramble and digest what she had just said. My car? My fucking car? Did she just say there was something wrong with my car? Without responding, I sprinted across the salon, past the reception desk where Alice was standing and watching me with her hand over her mouth and what I could only describe as a look of amusement on her face. I didn't have time to ask her what the fuck her problem was, because I had to find out what Angela meant about my car - this was _not funny_ no matter what my dumbass roommate may have thought in her pea size brain. By the time I was through the reception area and reached the door, my heart was pounding out of my chest. I realized at that point that I probably looked like a goddamn lunatic, practically sprinting across the entire expanse of the salon in heels, without even asking Angela what she meant. "I think you should go look at your car"? What the fuck did that mean? She didn't say something happened to it. She just said I needed to look at it. Why the fuck couldn't anyone just _say _what they meant in this fucking nut house? Was I really _that_ scary?

I took a deep breath before grabbing the door and swinging it open with a shaky hand, slipping through it swiftly as I tried to prepare myself for what I might see when I raised my eyes to look at my car. _Please God, let my car be ok. Please God let my car be ok. Please God let my car be..._

I turned my head in the direction of where I had parked my vehicle after I returned from my fucked up lunch of asshattery and tried to focus my eyes in the bright sun. I blinked a few times, letting out the breath I had taken before running outside and took in the sight before me in shock. _Holy. Fucking. Shit._

* * *

**EPOV**

My first week at the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy had just plain sucked. Bella wasn't kidding when she said it was going to be hard or that her brother was a ball buster. Ok, so she didn't use those exact words...but God help me...that's what he was. He was a gigantic motherfucking ball buster - and so were the other instructors that had been assigned to help him and his class of new cadets. From the minute they came out to the parking lot for line-up bright and early Monday morning, I knew I was in for a rough ride. There's nothing like starting the morning, before the fucking sun is even up, with someone inches away from your face, screaming at you like you're a piece of shit. Gates of Hell was an understatement. It seemed Bella's brother subscribed to the "break them down before building them back up" method of training...and fuck, was he good at it.

After picking us all apart one by one to see if they could get any of us to crack under the pressure, we were led to our classroom where they all took a moment to introduce themselves before explaining what was expected of us, as well as what we were to expect from them in the next eighteen weeks of training. In addition to Bella's brother, our class Sargeant, we had three Recruit Training Officers, or RTO's from various departments that made up ALEA - Officer Seth Clearwater of Phoenix PD, Officer Marcus Volterra of Chandler PD and Officer Tanya Denali of Scottsdale PD. The RTO's were a little less intimidating than Sargeant Swan, but not much - especially not that first day. That first day was fucking misery. Who was I kidding? The entire first week had been miserable.

Monday was set aside for going over outlines, a ton of paperwork and assigning us someone to carpool with since the Academy was at full capacity - they required carpooling to reduce parking lot overflow or some shit like that. So, as it turned out, I was paired up with the only other out of state recruit in my class who happened to live in a townhouse near my house in Ahwatukee. Jasper Whitlock had relocated from Texas not too long before I arrived from Forks and seemed to be as relieved as I was that we had been assigned to each other. In the short time I had known him, we had become pretty decent friends - fact of the matter was he was an all around good guy and a lot of fun to hang out with. It was nice to have someone to talk to besides Bella...although I could talk to Bella all day, every day if given the opportunity_. Oh my God, Cullen...you are such a fucking girl and, honestly, a little creepy, too. Yep, that's it...you're a creepy little girl._

As much as it disturbed me that I was already so pussy whipped by a woman I barely knew, it was true. Bella was never far from my thoughts and whenever I had a free moment, I would text her to ensure I wasn't far from hers, either. I had started the week with a routine of texting her as soon as I got up in the morning, during my lunch break and every night before I went to sleep. As the week went on, however, I found reasons to text her much more often and, honestly, more than anything, I wanted to call her and hear her voice. We hadn't actually _discussed_ that we weren't calling each other, but it was pretty well understood - Bella wasn't ready and I, for the life of me, couldn't figure out what was holding her back. Then, on Thursday night, she dropped a bomb on me during our late night texting session.

She had a boyfriend.

My heart almost stopped when I saw the word boyfriend in her text. I kept blinking my eyes trying to make sure that I was reading it correctly. _She has a boyfriend? What. The. Fuck? _My fingers were motionless as my mind raced trying to figure out what the fuck to text her back but before I had the chance, another text came in from her, followed immediately by another. I hesitantly opened them, afraid of what they might say when I realized that it really couldn't get much worse...not to mention the fact that I was so into this woman that it wouldn't have mattered what she said - I wasn't ready to walk away and give up on whatever it was that was happening between the two of us. When I opened the texts, I was relieved by what I had read. She had been estranged from her boyfriend for quite awhile and had invited him to lunch the following day to break it off once and for all. I silently thanked God while checking to see which pair of ruffled panties I had put on after my shower. _Fucking girl._

By the time Friday rolled around, I was exhausted both physically and mentally. With all the bullshit they put us through the first week, I had gotten about 3 hours of sleep, on average, a night. Monday night we had been sent on a wild goose chase for stencils to put our last names on the back of a white T-shirt which would be worn for PT while in the academy. The letters had to be an inch and a half tall and placed exactly four inches from the top of the shirt. I ended up making my own stencils after realizing that the size they requested was virtually impossible to find anywhere in the Phoenix area - I had spent hours running from store to store to no avail. I spent a couple of additional hours at home making sure all the letters were perfect and then had to line them up with a ruler on the back of the shirt before coloring them in with a black marker as my eyes crossed from exhaustion. When my alarm went off the next morning, I felt as if I hadn't even slept.

On top of that kind of bullshit, which went on pretty much all week, we were crucified for our shoe polishing skills on a daily basis. For the first five weeks of class, we would all be wearing black suits, white shirts, plain black ties and polishable black shoes - which had to shine like fucking glass. No matter how much time I spent on them, they were never good enough - no one's were. Each night of the week was spent polishing my shoes furiously but every morning brought the same criticism, "Do you call those shoes polished, Recruit?" Which was always followed by, "You all better work harder or you'll be in your penguin suits well past the standard five weeks!" There were specific instructions we had to follow and it became apparent very quickly that they were testing us all to see who would crack under the pressure.

Academically, we spent the week learning academy drills in addition to all the rules and regulations, as well as writing a fuckton of essays. Everything had to be handwritten with absolutely no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. I had figured out quickly that it was easier for me to write the damn essays on my laptop, checking for errors as I went, and then transfer them onto paper. It took longer, cutting into my less than stellar sleep schedule even more, but it was worth it. After the first two days, I was the only recruit who had escaped criticism for my writing, so I shared my method with the rest of the class, hoping to help get our training officers to back down a little. Unfortunately, they always seemed to find something to bitch about and I knew there was really no escaping that fact because this was their job - to weed out the weak early on and make the rest of us stronger. I knew I was strong enough to endure the bullshit on my own, but it didn't escape my notice that things were so much easier to deal with when I was "talking" to Bella. She grounded me and always made me feel better, even if she didn't realize she was doing it and I really hoped that I could do the same for her, especially in regard to her impending break up.

Jasper and I had been taking turns driving for the first week and Friday was my turn to drive in, so I texted Bella before I left to pick up Jasper and wished her luck on her lunch date. And after I texted the word "date" I vowed never to use the word date in regard to Bella again unless I was referring to myself. She must have been nervous because she responded right away...at four in the morning. I was certain she was having troubles sleeping, as in the short time I had known her, she had made it very clear that she was _not_ a morning person and since she didn't start work until nine that day, I didn't expect to hear from her before seven. As I drove to Jasper's place, I started to worry that there was more to the story than she had let on the night before - something told me this soon to be ex-boyfriend was trouble if breaking up with him was making Bella so on edge that she couldn't sleep - she didn't strike me as the kind of woman who would be easily intimidated by a man. _If I find out he's ever laid a hand on her, he's going to be involved in a little come to Jesus with my motherfucking fist.  
_

Jasper threw his duffle bag in the trunk of the Volvo, which I had popped open for him while sending my last text to Bella for the morning and I rushed to finish before he opened the door of the car and got in.

"Hey man, how goes it?" Jasper was always in a good mood in the morning, even on days like today, when we had to run a mile and a half up South Mountain first thing in the fucking morning in order to beat the heat. _There's no beating the heat in Hades...no matter how early you start. Who the fuck did they think they were kidding?_

"I'm fucking tired. I was thinking of stopping to get coffee on the way here but thought I'd wait to see if you wanted any before I did."

"A little Starbuck's would be fucking awesome. I'm all for it."

"Cool." I turned into the parking lot and pulled up to the speaker to order.

"So, what the fuck is the deal with Denali? Is it just me or does it seem like she's desperate for some cock?" Despite what came out of his mouth, Jasper's face was completely stoic, as if he had just asked me what color the sky was. I laughed out loud and nodded as I handed him his coffee and started to pull away from the drive-thru.

"I just don't get it though," he continued, "I mean, she's hot and all, but there's nothing less attractive than a woman who throws herself at every dude she comes across. She was even flirting with Sarge on Monday - did you see that?"

I was relieved that I wasn't the only one that had noticed what she was up to - It was obvious that not only was Officer Tanya Denali not working at the academy for any other purpose than to get laid but that she very obviously found no shame in her endeavor. I had watched her bend over in front of Bella's brother at least twice on Monday, looking over her shoulder and eyeing him like he was a piece of meat as she slowly stood up. Poor Sargeant Swan looked mortified and seemed to make it a point to look at anything and everything other than her for the rest of the day. Then, on Wednesday, Jasper and I were coming out of the locker room and she was standing with another recruit from our class giggling and playfully slapping him in all out flirt mode. I almost gagged. I prayed she would fail to realize my existence, but something told me my time was coming...she seemed to have every intention of making the rounds.

"All I can say is she better not come anywhere near me. I have no interest in contracting any of her STD's."

"Oh, come on now, Cullen...your time is coming. I've already witnessed her fucking you with her eyes on more than one occassion."

"Then I guess I better go get myself checked out - any kind of fucking by her runs the risk of infection." I shivered melodramatically as Jasper put up his hand for a high five, laughing.

We kept the conversation light as I drove the rest of the way to the academy, but I found my mind kept wandering back to Bella and her obvious dread of what she had to face come lunchtime. As the day went on, I felt like I needed to take a step, make an effort to let her know how interested I was in her but I had to know for sure that she was really going through with the break-up before I did anything. I couldn't go into this with my whole heart if she was only going into it half way. I wanted her all to myself and was not willing to settle for less, no matter how irritatingly desperate I was for her_._ It wasn't until after lunch when Jasper had gone to the designated smoking area for a quick smoke and I would normally be texting Bella that I realized I was done with the whole texting game. It wasn't enough anymore - I had to see her and after the week I had been through, I decided I _deserved _to see her. As I was convincing myself of this fact, my iPhone vibrated louldy in the pocket of my dress shirt as it banged up against my copper nameplate that I had painstakingly polished the night before. I knew it had to be her and my heart pounded hoping that when I opened the message, I'd be greeted with the good news that she had broken up with him. If not, I didn't know how I was going to make it through the rest of the day without pummeling someone's ass.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and touched the screen to open the message, letting out a loud sigh of relief when I read it.

**It's done...just wanted to let u know. :) Missed hearing from u lunch. Hope everything is ok. -B**

Before I could respond, I heard a high pitched whistle and saw Jasper standing in the doorway, motioning to me that it was time to head back. Knowing it wasn't a good idea to be late, I had no choice but to put my phone back in my shirt pocket and head out, tossing the remainder of my lunch in the garbage on the way out. I felt terrible that I hadn't been able to reply to Bella, but hoped that what I had planned for later would make up for it.

* * *

"Alright man, thanks. I'll give you a call in the morning, after I go for my run, and we can figure out where we want to go tomorrow night," Jasper said as he got out of the car.

"Sounds good. See ya." I popped the trunk so he could grab his duffle bag as he closed the door and waited to hear the trunk shut so I could finally get on my way to see Bella. I had been fixated on my thoughts of her all afternoon, hoping she wasn't pissed that I hadn't returned her text. I had contemplated texting her on my afternoon break, but Jasper was up my ass trying to avoid taking his regular smoke break and I didn't want to derail him. Smoking was seriously frowned upon due to all the physical activity we had to engage in to be a police officer and Jasper decided that the cigarrette he smoked at lunch would be his last. I knew he was full of shit, but I was determined to help him, regardless - he'd already come close to puking during PT on more than one occassion due to his fucked up lungs and that shit had to stop.

I pulled out of Jasper's complex and headed down Chandler Boulevard towards the salon, trying to figure out what the fuck I was going to do once I got there. I knew I wanted to see her but I didn't know what plan of action was appropriate considering she had no idea I was going to pay her a visit. As I pulled into the parking lot, I started to wonder if I was doing the right thing - was I pushing myself on her when she wasn't ready? She had _just_ broken up with her boyfriend only a few hours prior for fuck's sake. I started to talk myself out of it but I knew there was no way I was going to retreat. I wasn't a pussy and I wasn't going to act like one. No. I needed this enough for the both of us and I was never one to deny myself anything. And honestly, I needed to put myself out there and take a risk. I had never felt this before and I needed to make sure I wasn't alone - that we were in this together.

I pulled into a parking spot and saw Angela, the receptionist, getting out of a car with a blue bank bag under her arm. _Perfect timing. _I called her name to get her attention and a huge grin spread across her face as she began to realize why I was there. She turned away from the salon and walked over to me quickly, checking over her shoulder a few times to make sure no one was watching.

I turned on the charm, hoping it would work as well as it did last time because I needed her help. First, I needed to know which car was Bella's and second, I needed her to get Bella to come outside without telling her that I was here. Without any questions, she pointed me towards a black Mercedes in the back of the lot and said she'd have Bella out in a few minutes before turning away with a smile and a wave and rushing into the salon. I got out of my car and went to Bella's car, leaning up against her back bumper with my feet crossed in front of me, trying to look as casual as I could considering the fact that my heart was about to pound it's way out of my fucking chest.

After a few short minutes in the searing heat, I felt myself starting to sweat and decided to roll up the sleeves of my white dress shirt and loosened my tie a little while I waited for Bella. Just as she promised, within about five minutes, I saw the salon door swing open and Bella came running out. She turned her head and looked up, noticing my presence for the first time. Her cheeks were flushed from what I assumed was panic and her hair was blowing back in the hot desert breeze - and I had never seen anyone look more beautiful than she did at that moment. She shook her head few times, as if to try and focus her eyes and I watched as her facial expression went from panic, to shock and then relief. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she walked towards me, almost hesitant at first and then her pace increasing with each step she took.

Before my mind could make sense of what was happening, she was standing in front of me, eyebrow quirked and a tentative smile on her face. I could tell the wheels in her head were spinning, trying to figure out what I was doing there. I opened my mouth to speak as the smell of vanilla and lilacs overwhelmed my senses and I felt like my body was reacting on it's own without any help from my mind, which had been retarded by her amazing scent. I reached for her, pulling her close as I stood up and our bodies met. She looked up at me, her eyes searching my face for some kind of clue as to what was about to happen as I snaked my left arm around her waist, cupping the back of her neck with my right hand. I brushed my thumb across her flushed cheek as she smiled at me, giving me the permission I was waiting for. Without any hesitation, she tilted her face to look in my eyes as I leaned down towards her and our lips met. Any uncertainty I had felt was washed away as soon as I felt her soft lips on mine, her hands sliding up my chest and around my neck as her fingers weaved into the back of my hair. Our lips moved together in perfect synchronization and I was about to deepen the kiss as I felt my dick spring to life, wanting to get in on the action. As close as I was holding her, I knew I had to pull away before she felt my desire pressing up against her stomach and decided she wanted nothing more to do with me - or my dick. I knew I couldn't have handled that and from what my dick was telling me, it would have gladly detached itself from my body and jumped into hers if given the opportunity which, at that moment, made perfect sense to me. _Pull away, Edward. Pull away before your dick convinces you it should be making your decisions for you__,__ which would _not _be a good idea._

"Bella!" Our lips parted as I slipped my right hand down to her waist, wrapping both arms around her and squeezing her quickly before letting her go completely. She turned to see the eyefucker, who I had come to learn was also known as Alice, leaning out the front door of the salon waving frantically at her. "Rosalie said to let you know the dryer just shut off. Do you want Laurent to rinse your client?"

Bella shook her head, "No, Alice. Do _not_ let him anywhere near her. I'll be right in...do you have a second to take her out from under the dryer and sit her down at a shampoo bowl for me?"

"I'll take care of it, but you better hurry! You better get your tongue out of Police Recruit FuckMeEyes's mouth and get your ass back in here before Laurent weasels another client out from under your nose."

Bella buried her face in her hands, leaning into my chest and shaking her head in what I could only assume was embarrassment from what Alice had just said_. FuckMeEyes, huh? Trust me, my eyes are not the only things that want to fuck you, Bella. _

I leaned back, prying her hands from her face and softly placing the tip of my index finger under her chin, so I could lift her face and look in her eyes. Before I could say anything to try and alleviate her embarrassment, she leaned forward and placed a quick, chaste kiss on my lips. With a smile and a wink, she disengaged from me completely and turned around, walking swiftly back where she came from. I wanted to say something to her but the words just wouldn't come. All I could do was stare at her ass as she walked away from me, my mind blank and my cock hard, willing her to come back for more. When she reached the door she looked back at me for a second and waved before entering the building and leaving my line of sight completely.

I ran my fingers through my hair, as I walked back over to my Volvo, opening the door and sliding into the driver's seat. I turned the key in the ignition, desperately needing to feel the a/c blow across my face and relieve me of the heat that was radiating from my body. It amazed me that we hadn't said one word to each other, yet I felt like so many of my questions had been answered by seeing her and knowing what it felt like to hold her in my arms and kiss her beautiful, full lips. At that moment, all of the memories of my shitty week faded away and were replaced with a euphoria I had never felt before. She wanted me...as much as I wanted her...and that was all I needed to know.

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**Ok, now that you read it, if you review, Copward might be inclined to use his nightstick on you. ;)**


	4. Cut to the Chase

**A/N: First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for the love you have given me and my little fic - I can't tell you how much it warms my heart! I read each and every review and can't get over how insightful some of you are! THANK YOU!! **

**I also want to thank araeo for pimping my story in her latest update of Work in Progress...her pimpage brought me the highest number of hits I've ever had in one day so I am more than appreciative and want to welcome all the new readers! Hi!! The link to araeo's fic is in my favorites - it's a MUST READ if you're not doing so already! :)**

**As always, I want to thank my beautiful and loving beta, Britpacksuccubus for listening to my whining and bitching all the time and helping me make this story the best it can be. In addition, I want to thank ilsuocantante (who, btw writes Answering Bell, another must read - link is in my faves) for doing a final read through for me - it was late at night and I needed a second pair of eyes to catch the stuff I missed. Thank you BOTH! I love you so hard, it should be illegal! :) **

**As usual, outfits are in my profile.**

**Stephenie Meyer's owns everything Twilight but Police Recruit FuckMeEyes is all mine. :)**

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**BPOV**

"Seriously, do you fucking hate me or what?" I looked at Alice, pointedly, tapping my foot and waiting for her response. After interrupting what was probably the best kiss I had ever experienced in my life _and_ embarrassing me by revealing Edward's nickname to him while doing so, the little bitch had the nerve to look at me like she had no idea what I was talking about - pissing me off even more.

"I love you, my little Bellarina. You know that," she smiled angelically, as if that was going to fool me into believing her bullshit. "What could ever give you the impression that I hate you?"

I growled at her in exasperation. "Fuck you, Alice. You think you're so cute when you screw me over and then act all innocent about it, but _trust me, _karma is a bitch. If it doesn't come back and bite you in the ass someday, you can count on the fact that I will."

"Oooh...I might like that." She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively and it took everything I had not to kick her ass right there, in the middle of the salon. Lucky for her, Laurent and Bree were both still finishing up with their clients or I would have jumped right over the reception desk and gone full on WWE on her tiny ass. _Yeah right, we both know she'd give me the __beat down__ of a lifetime. Scary little bitch._

Alice and I both giggled at her innuendo as Angela shook her head, laughing along with us. "I want to go on the record saying that I think there's something wrong with both of you. Having said that, it truly frightens me to think that you two actually _live _together. Your poor brother, Bella."

I gasped at her, feigning shock. "Angela, you have _no _idea how hilarious that statement is. I know you think I'm all mean and scary, but I'll tell you what...Alice and Emmett are relentless with their ganging up on me. You'd probably enjoy coming to our house and joining in, right Al?"

Before Alice could respond, the front door of the salon flew open and Emmett appeared, wearing his full uniform and a pair of aviator sunglasses. I gave him a dirty look, knowing he had brought clothes with him to change into and that he could have very well changed at the academy before leaving. Unfortunately, Emmett was too observant for his own good and recognized that women were suckers for a good looking man in a uniform. And being the smug bastard that he was, he was always one to take full advantage of that fact. "Hey, Shortcake!" He smacked Alice on her ass, nearly knocking her over, "You look HOT!"

Alice grabbed onto the reception desk to steady herself, laughing at Emmett's over-zealousness. As much as I wanted to punch him for openly flirting with Alice, not to mention actually touching her ass, I had to admit that he was right. Alice had on a high-waisted black pencil skirt with a gathered black belt around her tiny waist and a fitted white blouse with cap sleeves and a peek-a-boo center under the button up collar. For a pop of color, she added royal blue suede pumps and sapphire and diamond drop earrings. They were showcased perfectly by her hair which was pulled back off of her face in a french twist with some strands hanging loosely around her face. She looked stunning, as usual.

"Thanks, Eminem...I try." Alice rubbed her ass as Emmett's eyes widened and he licked his lips like a fucking predator closing in on its prey. I shot him a look of death, secretly hoping to cause him physical pain with my gaze as he continued to drool over Alice's ass and shook his hand, realizing how hard he had actually hit her. _My brother is a pig._

"Eminem, huh? Because I melt in your mouth, not in your hand?" my jackass of a brother asked with a cocky smirk on his face. I puked in my mouth as soon as he finished his question and hoped and prayed Alice put him in his place before I had to take matters into my own hands. I had no doubt that even though my father was the Chief of Police, I'd still end up in jail for assaulting a police officer. _Fuck my life._

Alice cringed, thank God, and swatted him on his tanned arm. "Um, you wish. And to be blunt...I can guarantee you I will never know the answer to that question. Ever. That's just wrong." Wrong didn't even begin to describe what that would be. Blech. It was becoming apparent to me that Emmett needed a good junkpunch and considering how many times I had given him one when we were kids, I was not above providing that for him now that we were older.

Before Emmett could open his mouth and disgust me any more with his incessant flirting with Alice, Laurent walked up to where we were all standing with his arm around his client. I watched as his eyes traveled up and down my brother's uniformed body more than once in what I could only assume was appreciation. I grabbed my paperwork and came out from behind the reception desk in order to step away and let Angela do her job. Handing my paperwork to Emmett, I directed him up the stairs to the spare bedroom so he could change and freshen up before we went out, telling him to drop it on Rose's desk on the way. He stuck his tongue out at me, mumbling something about me bossing him around and trying to get rid of him as he walked out the front door to retrieve his clothes from his Jeep. He nodded and smiled at Laurent's client while holding the door open and allowing her to walk out before he walked back in. I watched Laurent's eyes follow him as he walked from the front door, past the desk and up the stairs. Alice nonchalantly leaned over towards where he was sitting on the couch and lightly tapped her finger under his chin, telling him to close his mouth and stop drooling while Angela and I giggled.

"Isabella, your brother is...well, your brother in that uniform is...just so...beautiful."

"Laurent! What would Michel say if he knew you were swooning over my brother? My very _straight_ brother, by the way," I teased him.

Laurent's mouth fell open at the mention of his partner's name, as he narrowed his eyes at me and explained, "Isabella, just because I am married, for all intents and purposes, does not mean I am dead. Michel can appreciate a hot body just as much as - if not more than - I can. And let me tell you," he whistled and then finished, "your brother is nothing less than hot. I see looks run in the family."

Alice snorted at Laurent's attempt to charm me. He had pissed me off on more than one occasion in the past week - not that that was anything unusual. Still, he had known what I had planned for lunch and then saw me disappear later on in the day when Edward had surprised me, so I knew his feeble attempt at flattery was only so he could procure some information out of me as to what he had missed out on. But since Laurent and I had always had a "love/hate" relationship and I knew he enjoyed the thrill of the chase, I wasn't dishing. I'd tell him eventually. We were like a family at the salon so nothing stayed a secret for long. Still, with Angela standing there, it just wasn't the right time to delve into what an asshole her brother was, even though she'd probably just agree. Plus, with Emmett right upstairs, there was no way I was going to mention anything about Edward. Instead, I laughed and patted Laurent on the head while saying, "Nice try, you French fucker. I'm not as dumb as all those bimbos who swoon over your big brown eyes and long eyelashes. You seem to forget that I know you're gay, my dear, so your bullshit won't work on me. Sorry!"

He chuckled, snapping his fingers in feigned regret as he stood up to help Angela who was tidying up his station quickly before heading home. Angela discarded the hair she swept up and walked back over to the reception desk where Alice was trying, unsuccessfully, to get me to talk about what had happened in the parking lot when she so rudely interrupted. _Keep trying, bitch. You're going to have to beg for it this time after you embarrassed me in front of Police Recruit FuckMeEyes. Mmmm...those eyes...they aren't the only part of Edward I want fucking me. Focus, Bella!_

"Alright, ladies," Laurent was standing in front of me, ready to head out the door, snapping me out my momentary Edward-induced coma, "I'm going home to Michel who is undoubtedly waiting for me - and really, who could blame him?" Alice and I both fake gagged as the arrogant fucker waved at us and blew us each a kiss before disappearing from our view, the door shutting softly behind him. Angela laughed, following behind him and waving goodbye to us, as well.

Never one to miss what was going on around her, Alice cleared her throat to get my attention and nodded her head toward the stairs with a mischievous look in her eyes. I followed her gaze to the top of the stairs where I could just make out my brother's form, still clad in full uniform, leaning against the door jam to Rose's office. It was at that moment that I realized my fatal mistake. In my haste to threaten Emmett about messing around with Alice, I had forgotten to factor Rosalie into that equation. _Shit. Fuck. Damn. Rosalie, please be as smart as your sister and look past the muscles to see my brother for the dork that he is. Oh Jesus, I'm referring to Alice as _smart? _Yeah, I'm screwed...seriously motherfucking screwed._

I could hear my brother bellow with laughter as he schmoozed Rosalie from the doorway of her office and realized I had no one to blame but myself. I had foolishly handed him my paperwork and asked him to give it to her, not even contemplating the possibility that he'd want to pursue Rose. Of course he would. Rosalie was gorgeous and Emmett wasn't blind. _Damn you, Emmett. Why couldn't you be blind?_

I knew I wasn't ready to see Rose's reaction to my brother's blatant flirting, so I sent Alice upstairs to coax him into changing so we could leave for dinner while I finished her paperwork for her. By the time Emmett finally came back down to throw his uniform into his Jeep, Bree had finished with her client, cleaned up her station and clocked out. I quickly introduced them, watching Bree blush as Emmett shook her hand and then held the door open for her as she left for the day. It amazed me that women found my brother so swoon-worthy, I still saw him as the idiot that thought Rocky Balboa was the coolest thing since sliced bread and sat on me when he farted. Granted, that was many years ago, but still...I absolutely adored my brother but no one was going to convince me that he wasn't a goof. No fucking way.

Emmett walked back into the salon and I took a good look at him. My brother had always been a big guy, but since becoming a cop, he seemed even larger - I assumed it was because on top of his size and stature, the badge and uniform made him seem almost superhuman. He was wearing black pants with a charcoal button down shirt that had black vertical stripes. He had the sleeves rolled up over his tanned and muscular forearms and finished his look with a pair of black leather dress shoes. And because I was his sister and I knew him almost as well as I knew myself, I was certain he had his Glock in the holster attached to his belt, which was hidden by his shirt. He never left the house without it. Ok, so he _was_ good looking. And I could see why having him around made women feel safe. And honestly, he could probably get almost any woman he wanted. So, why my friends? Why couldn't he dip his 'fishing pole' in foreign waters, instead of trying to put it into my friend's vaginas? _Ugh...time to find that brain bleach again._

The sound of Rosalie gasping caught my attention, bringing me back to reality. When I turned to look at her, her eyes were trained on Emmett and I knew at that moment that he had gotten to her and I would no longer be fighting him off of Alice. His focus was now on Rose and from her reaction to him standing before her, I got the sinking feeling she didn't mind it one bit. I was completely floored and my mouth hanging open in shock must have alerted Rose to that fact, because she quickly averted her eyes as a light blush started to creep over her face. _Rosalie is blushing?! Blushing? Rosalie _never _blushes! Holy motherfucking shit...this is _not _good._

"Are we ready to go?" I looked at Rose and narrowed my eyes. _Oh, all of the sudden you _want _to go out, huh? Gee, bitch, I wonder why? Maybe because you want a ride on Sergeant Swan's crotch rocket?! Oh. My. God. Why do I torture myself this way? I think it's time to turn off my inner dialogue or I'm not going to survive this night._

"Wait, you're going with us now?" asked Alice, suspiciously. _Atta girl. Wait, is this something I want to encourage? No. I don't want them to fight over my brother, right? God, I'm so confused._

"Yeah, Rose," I couldn't stop myself from joining in, "I thought you wanted to go home and down a bottle of wine while catching up on the paperwork." Alice snorted as Rosalie shot daggers at me. She had perfected what we referred to as 'the look of death' and at that moment, she was directing it right at me. "What?" I mouthed to her, shrugging my shoulders.

"Aw, hell no, Stinkerbell...Rosie's coming with us. Right, Rosie?" _Fucking asshole not only slips my nickname into the conversation, but refers to her as 'Rosie' after talking to her for all of ten minutes? Jesus, it just keeps getting better._

"I really _should _get some work done," Rosalie relented begrudgingly. Emmett's face fell in disappointment and I actually felt bad. My head began to swim with conflicting emotions and I was starting to wonder if _I_ should skip dinner and let them do whatever it was they were going to do. I didn't want this but at the same time, in the back of my mind, I realized that I was doing something so much worse than what Emmett was doing. I was lying to him. Sure, it was lying by omission, but it was lying just the same. And one thing I had to give my brother credit for was that he always wore his emotions on his sleeve - and he wasn't trying to hide anything from me. Which was yet another quality that made him more endearing to the opposite sex - and to his sister who loved him dearly. _I fucking suck. _

"Shit, _Rosie," _I made sure to emphasize my brother's new found nickname for her because I couldn't resist, "stop being an old lady. You're coming with us - it's just dinner. You can work later." Rosalie looked at me as the words fell from my mouth and she looked as shocked as I was that I had said them. She nodded in agreement, making my brother's face light up with a grin that was reminiscent of a kid who had just gotten a new puppy. I looked to Alice for some kind of reassurance that I wasn't _completely _losing my mind by encouraging Rose to join us and she shook her head in exasperation. If I didn't know her better, I would have thought she was jealous. But, that couldn't be right...could it?

"Wait, go back a little. Did you just call her _Stinkerbell?" _Rosalie put her hand over her mouth, trying to contain her laughter as she looked at Emmett and he nodded, putting his arm around her and escorting her out the door.

"Come on, Rosie, you can ride with me and I'll fill you in on anything and everything you want to know about our beloved Stinkerbell." Before she could protest, Emmett grabbed her gray handbag from where she had placed it on the reception desk beside her and led her out the door.

Alice and I stood and stared in disbelief, both of us trying to digest what had just happened. Rosalie had never, in the entire time I had known her, fallen under a man's spell so quickly. She was independent and always made it a point to let her step-sister and I both know that having a man was a luxury, not a necessity. And when she _did _date a guy, she was _always _the one in control. Sam, the last guy she had dated, was so pussywhipped by her that we always joked that although he wore the pants in the relationship, Rosalie was the one that told him which pair to put on. But whatever was going on between her and Emmett had an absolutely foreign dynamic and it confused the shit out of me. Emmett was blatantly pursuing her but _she_ was swooning over _him_. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone and started to wonder what the fuck else was going to happen before the night was over.

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PF Chang's was fucking crowded and I had seriously contemplated giving in to Emmett's whining about wanting to go to The Cheesecake Factory, out of sheer hunger, when we were finally called to be seated. I had nothing against The Cheesecake Factory but knew it would be just as busy - if not worse - and my unhealthy addiction to the lettuce wraps at PF Chang's won out over my lack of patience. The hostess led us to a large u-shaped booth in the back corner, which was perfect since Emmett's voice was loud and tended to carry. Rose slid in one side, Alice on the other, meeting in the middle and leaving Emmett to choose which sister to sit next to. Hours earlier, I would have been certain he would choose to sit next to Alice so he could shamelessly tease her and flirt with her through dinner, but as they both sat there waiting for him to make his move, I had no doubt where he was going to sit. And just like I predicted, he promptly plopped down next to Rose without even a minute's hesitation while I sat next to Alice but far enough away to avoid the wrath that was brewing inside of her. I knew she didn't have any interest in my brother in a romantic way, but Alice ate up all the attention he gave her and now that she wasn't his main focus, she didn't even attempt to hide how irritated she was. Add to that her competitive nature and I figured I was in for a world of hurt if I was sitting closer to her than Rose was. _Fuck that. I'm keeping my distance from jealous Alice - she is _not _nice and if she cockblocks me from my fucking lettuce wraps, things are going to get really ugly up in here._

Our waitress came to the table to take our drink orders, which alleviated a bit of the tension. The girls and I ordered some Asian wine while Emmett got himself a beer and we all started to catch up on what had happened in our respective lives throughout the week. I was anxious to hear what Emmett had to say about Edward, but I knew I couldn't fish for any information from him without it looking suspicious.

"So, Bells," Emmett took a drink of his beer, looking at me over the top of his glass, "how'd the break-up lunch go today?"

I groaned inwardly knowing I had to be careful how I approached the situation with Jake or Emmett was going to go ballistic. One thing that I would never argue was the fact that my brother was extremely protective of me - almost as protective as our father. Throughout our childhood and even into our adulthood, Emmett had stuck up for me in any situation that called for it, always scared all of my boyfriends and tried to protect me in any way he could from ever having to experience the negative side of life. And after Charlie's reaction, I was certain Emmett's would not be good.

"Um, it was...interesting."

"Interesting? What _exactly _does interesting mean, Isabella? Dad called me three times this afternoon and when I finally got around to calling him back, he was in a meeting and couldn't take my call. You know how he is about leaving messages, but whatever he called about was important enough to leave one to tell me he wanted me to set some time aside so we could come up with a game plan about you and this low life of an ex of yours - something tells me _interesting _is an understatement."

I took a swig of my wine, trying to buy myself some time to figure out the best way to respond. Just as I had suspected, Emmett was in full on protective brother bear mode and although I wanted to be honest with him, I didn't want to worry him more than necessary. "Basically I told him we were done and he didn't really take it too well. So..." I trailed off, as I realized all eyes at the table were on me. With the salon having been so busy, in addition to Edward's surprise visit and my inability to concentrate on anything since, I had forgotten that neither Rosalie nor Alice really knew the drama that had transpired at Keegan's.

"So?" Alice looked at me pointedly, urging me to respond.

"So, he may have...in a round about way...threatened me."

"Wait! _What_?" Rosalie's eyes were wide in shock and I could tell the wheels in her brain were turning as she recounted our earlier conversation, trying to remember what I had said when I returned to the salon from lunch. "You didn't tell me _that!_ What the fuck?"

"I didn't think it was the right time to go into it. I wasn't sure if Angela was around and I didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Plus, I had already talked to Charlie and he reassured me that between he and Emmett, I'd be fine."

"You _will_ be fine, Stinkerbell, but that's beside the point." Emmett was shaking his head in disbelief as he continued, "What kind of dumbass threatens the daughter of the Chief of Police? How stupid can this dickhead actually be?"

"He's dumber than a box of rocks," Alice said with a grimace. "But, mark my words, Eminem...he's not bluffing. He has always had this overly possessive nature about Bella and I wouldn't put anything past him at this point. Wouldn't you agree, Rose?" _Motherfucker...it just keeps getting better. Now _they _are ganging up on _me? _Bitches. _I kicked Alice under the table making her yelp out in pain. "What the fuck, Bella?"

I narrowed my eyes at her_. She better knock it the fuck off before Emmett starts turning green and busts out of his clothes. He's fucking big enough as it is_... "Diarrhea of the mouth much, Al? Let's not blow this out of proportion, _ok?"_

"She's _not _blowing it out of proportion, Bella, and you know it. I don't mean to be harsh here, but you need to be honest with your brother so we don't find you anchored to the bottom of Lake Havasu someday! I mean, you're a pain in the ass and all, but we all love you and don't want anything bad to happen to you...and I think I can speak for Alice when I say that _both _of us are tired of seeing this loser scare you into submission. This is it, Bella. No more."

I looked at the expression on their faces and knew there was no way I could skirt the subject any longer. I had hidden the downfalls of my relationship from my brother - my entire family - for too long and frankly, I was sick of the shame I felt for allowing myself to be so weak when it came to Jake. Everything about my relationship with him had become a complete and utter contradiction to the strong woman I had been raised to be and I was done with it, just like Rosalie had said. Telling him it was over was one thing, but I refused to live in fear of him for one more minute of my life. So, I took a deep breath and spilled my guts - with Rosalie and Alice chiming in here and there as I filled my brother in on the entire fucked up situation. By the time we were done with our meals, Emmett was speechless - and Emmett was _never _speechless.

As Emmett sat and stewed on all the information I had just spewed at him, I noticed Rosalie rubbing his back soothingly, offering quiet words of encouragement_. What the fuck is going on here? How did I not see this coming? Wait, better yet, how did _Alice _not see this coming? All knowing, my ass._

Alice cleared her throat, commanding all of our attention, in what I could only assume was an attempt to pull Emmett and Rosalie out of their little bubble and back into the here and now. "Why don't we lighten the mood a little and find out how Emmett's first week at the academy was? I'm sure you have some interesting stories for us, right, Em? How'd it go?"

"It was actually a pretty good first week, Shortcake - thanks for asking! I think I have a pretty strong group of cadets on my hands and I can already tell a few of them are going to be some of the best police officers Phoenix has seen in awhile."

I leaned forward as if to make sure I didn't miss a word that came out of my brother's mouth, waiting and hoping to hear something, anything, about Edward. It had only been a few hours since I had seen him and touched him and _kissed _him yet every part of my being needed that connection with him that in such a short time I had grown to depend on. Emmett spoke animatedly about his class and how he and his three RTO's had given them all the mental beating of a lifetime and every one of them had survived. The first week was set aside for seeing who was in it for the long haul. The cadets were sent on wild goose chases for things that were close to an impossibility to find, they were raked over the proverbial coals for _everything _down to the shine on their shoes and they were worked over physically like they had probably never been worked over in their lives - even the most physically fit would struggle at some point in their training. But, Emmett knew what he was doing and everything he did was to better them, even though they probably felt like they were getting defeated at every turn.

"So," Emmett leaned back in the booth, nonchalantly sliding his arm behind Rosalie as he continued, "I have this female RTO working for me from Scottsdale - Tanya Denali. She's really good at being a bitch when she needs to be, but I have serious reservations as to why she works at the academy. It'll be interesting to see if she lasts the entire 18 weeks with me."

Rosalie's ears perked up at the mention of a female and I could tell she was itching to ask what he meant by his comment but Alice beat her to it. "Um, yeah...you're going to have to explain what you mean by that, Em. You can't just put something like that out there and not expect us to want to know more."

"Let's just say she tends to favor the male recruits..._and _instructors."

Rosalie visibly tensed. _Holy fucking __h__ell, Rosalie Hale is...dare I say...jealous! And not _just _jealous, but jealous over my brother. Cue the Twilight Zone theme song...it's officially time for it. _"Anyone in particular?" _Oh no she didn't. _

"Nah, she doesn't really discriminate, if you know what I mean. But, she seems to have taken a special liking to our two out of state recruits. I don't know if it's because she thinks they're easy targets since they don't really know anyone or what, but neither of them have given her the time of day yet and I'm hoping it stays that way. I paired them together for carpooling and they seem to be getting along pretty well, so I'm hoping they'll keep each other on the straight and narrow and far, far away from RTO Denali."

My heart started pounding in my chest. One of the two out of state recruits Emmett was referring to was Edward. _My _Edward. The Edward that had been texting me non-stop for a week. The same Edward that had shown up at my work, unannounced, and kissed me only hours before. I couldn't even begin to explain the fierce jealousy that was raging through me as my brother spoke but at that moment, I started to feel some sort of kinship with Rosalie. I was not above cutting a bitch if she didn't stay away from him. _Ok, so I _am _above cutting a bitch__,__ but I'll be damned if I'm going to let her get her hooks into my Edward. Really? My Edward? Yes, he's my Edward. After that hot motherfucking kiss, he's definitely mine - I felt how much he's mine pressing against my stomach when we were kissing. No doubt about it._

Alice must have caught on to my childish freak out because she patted my hand under the table as she went in for the kill with Emmett, garnering as much information about the out of state recruits as she could without alerting my brother to any wrongdoing on my part. From the sounds of it, Edward Cullen had already impressed his class sergeant with his attention to detail and ability to stay calm under pressure. I cringed to think of how much Emmett's opinion would change if he knew there was something going on between what seemed to be one of his favorite recruits and his little sister...

The waitress brought our check as Emmett was explaining to both Alice and Rosalie the importance of the boot camp mentality that was utilized during the first few weeks of training. While they were all otherwise involved, I pulled my purse onto my lap in hopes of paying the bill so we could go home and I could avoid the constant surveillance of our group dinner date and call Edward. The effects of the long day were really starting to wear on me and I could think of nothing better than curling up in bed and talking to Edward_. Well, there's a lot of other things I would love to do to Edward in my bed, but it's a little soon for that. Right? Yes, Bella...it is. I think. Oh fuck, who knows anymore?_

While reaching for my wallet, I felt my phone vibrate. Keeping it under the table, I pulled it out of my purse and saw that I had one missed call and one text message. I prayed to all that was holy that neither the phone call nor the text were from Jacob and silently sighed to myself when I saw they were not. It seemed my mother had called shortly after we arrived at the restaurant which brought me to the conclusion that Charlie had filled her in on my unbelievably fucked up lunch date. I made a mental note to call her back later as my fingers moved across the screen to the text message that was waiting to be opened.

**Can't stop thinking about that kiss. - E**

A smile crept over my face and I felt my cheeks start to burn with the uncontrollable blush that arose anytime I thought about Edward's lips on mine. I looked up to see if anyone noticed my distraction as I thought of something clever to write back.

**Kiss? What kiss? :P - B**

I pulled cash out of my wallet as I waited for his response. The waitress returned as soon as I laid the billfold back on top of the table, indicating I didn't need any change. Emmett, noticing the exchange between us, stopped talking and narrowed his eyes at me in exasperation. "Stinkerbell, this was supposed to be my treat. What the fuck?"

"Shut up, Em. You three were engrossed in your conversation so I figured I'd just pay the bill. Not a big deal - you can treat next time. And don't worry, Rosalie won't think any less of you for not paying. It's obvious she's already picturing what your children are going to look like...you have _nothing _to worry about there."

Rosalie growled at me and flipped me off, bringing forth a booming laugh from my brother and a snicker from Alice. "Oh, Bella, you're _so _funny...only not so much." Before I could respond to her, I felt my Blackberry vibrate in my hand, catching me off guard and making me jump a little, which Rosalie noticed. _Fuck me. _"Who are you texting over there, Bella?" _Bitch._

I narrowed my eyes at her as my mind raced. I sucked at lying, especially to my brother, but I had to come up with something quick if I had any hopes of protecting Edward from his wrath. Considering the fact that he was fawning all over one of my co-workers, I knew he really didn't have a leg to stand on in keeping me from dating one of his recruits. However, I also knew that while he couldn't make me suffer for it, he could definitely make Edward do so - and I wasn't about to make him suffer any more than he already had to. The academy was enough of a bitch without me making it worse on him. Thankfully, Alice's annoyance with Rosalie taking all of Emmett's attention away from her ended up working in my favor as she jumped in and redirected the conversation away from me, babbling to Emmett about how she wanted him to hook her up with, as she put it, a sex god in a uniform. While they argued, I took the moment of distraction to check the text message that had come in only moments before.

**OUCH. That hurt. You might have to kiss my ego and make it better. :) Whatcha doin? - E**

**At dinner w/ur Sergeant. :P I might be inclined to kiss more than that, jsyk. Call u later? -B**

I heard Emmett whining about not wanting Alice and I to disrupt his class and my ears perked up, wondering what she was up to. Before I could figure it out, my phone vibrated again, pulling my attention back to the gorgeous man I was shamelessly flirting with via text message.

**I'll be waiting...and wondering what else you're inclined to kiss while I wait. ;) - E**

I felt an undeniable heat creep over my face - and between my legs - as I thought about all the places I'd like to kiss that beautiful man. All the places I _planned_ to kiss that beautiful man. The kiss in the parking lot was amazing and in all honesty, it had been pretty tame compared to what I wanted to do to him. And now that I was free from Jake, I had all intentions of following through with all of my dirty little thoughts about Edward - with or without Emmett's blessing.

"Earth to Bella," I heard Alice saying as she snapped her fingers in my face. "We're going to have lunch at the academy on Monday with Emmett, ok?" _Dear Alice, I love you. Lunch at the academy with Edward...is that ok with me? Fuck yes, it's ok with me! You are my hero. Love, Me._

I tried to sound casual, as I looked up at her, nodding my head and offering a meek, "Sure."

Alice patted me on the back, motioning with her head for me to slide out of the booth because we were apparently leaving. I slid out of the booth and stood up as I watched Emmett offer his hand to Rosalie, which she took with a timid smile, as he helped her to her feet. "Come on, Rosie, I'll take you back to your car and we can talk about when you're going to let me take you out again."

"Um, Em, we already covered this, but _I _actually took Rosalie out tonight, not you." I stuck my tongue out at him as Alice and Rosalie both tried to mask their amusement at the look on his face in reaction to my childish teasing.

"Thanks for reminding me, Sis." He glared at me and then turned his attention back to Rosalie as we all walked out of the restaurant and headed towards our cars. "Ok, as my loving sister so graciously pointed out, I didn't actually take you out tonight - although it was my intention to pay for everyone since it was my idea to do this. At any rate, I guess we'll have to talk about when you'll let me actually take you out. Alone. Without these two troublemakers tagging along."

Alice stopped dead in her tracks and turned back towards them, flipping Emmett off with both hands. "One's from me and one's from Bella, Ass. Have fun taking Rosalie back to the salon - just remember, I'll be waiting for you when you get home!"

"You know, there was a time where I would've been happy to hear those words coming from that pretty little mouth of yours, Shortcake. But, tonight, I get the feeling that's not a good thing. Not at all."

"Smart man." Alice sneered at Emmett before saying goodbye to her sister and catching up to me at my car, which was parked right in front of the restaurant and still well within earshot of our dinner companions. "Let's go, Bellarina. I want to rest up before I give your brother the beat down of a lifetime."

Rosalie chuckled as Emmett groaned, resting his hand on the small of her back as he led her the rest of the way to his Jeep. I watched as he opened her door for her and helped her in. As much as I wanted to be angry at him for finding the loophole in our little agreement, I couldn't help but be happy that the two had hit it off so well. I just really hoped that if anything came of their flirtation, it wouldn't end badly or come between me and Rose. Considering my current situation with Angela, I knew I would be able to handle it and just hoped Rosalie could, as well.

It was a quick ride home from PF Chang's with Alice grilling me about Edward all the way. I answered all of her questions, relieved she wasn't asking any more about Jake and ruining the feeling I had been experiencing since my latest round of texting with Edward. I was looking forward to hearing his voice once we were back home and I was able to escape her scrutiny, rather than a few text messages back and forth before bed. As usual, Alice and her freaky sixth sense must have anticipated my desire to be alone because as soon as I parked my car in the garage, she was out of it like a flash, bounding into the house and disappearing without so much as a "goodnight".

I got myself ready for bed, setting my alarm and turning on my TV for a little background noise. I was nervous as I sat on my bed, staring at my phone, wishing I had told him to call me later so I didn't have to actually be the one dialing and putting myself out there. Edward was so obviously the risk taker in this whole situation and it was becoming more and more obvious to me that I was not in control of any aspect of whatever it was that was going on between us. The butterflies in my stomach started to feel as though they were going to chew their way out as I mentally inched closer and closer to picking up the phone and calling Edward_. Dear__,__ Lord, please don't let this be awkward. My vajayjay and I need Police Recruit FuckMeEyes more than we really should at this point and neither of us can fathom not getting the chance to experience_ all_ of him...if you know what I mean...and I know you do. Oh my God, I'm totally going to Hell for that._

I took a deep breath, picking up my phone with a shaky hand as I found his name in my contacts and hit send. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as it rang once and then twice before I heard the line pick-up and a sexy voice greet me on the other end of the phone, "Hello, Beautiful. How was dinner?"

_Did he just call me beautiful? Yes. Yes, he did. He called me beautiful._ My mind couldn't even begin to wrap itself around the fact that the man that I described that way on so many occasions had just used the same word to describe me. Even when I wasn't in close proximity to him, he took my breath away and I reverted back to the awkward school girl who had no idea what to do in the presence of a good looking man. I tried to catch my breath and calm my rapidly beating heart so I could answer him. "Pretty good. I learned quite a bit about a few cadets in my brother's class."

"Oh yeah? Anyone I know?"

"As a matter of fact, he _did _happen to mention a certain devastatingly handsome recruit that had recently relocated from out of state."

"Really? Did he use those exact words?" I laughed at the thought of my brother saying anything remotely close to what I had just described to Edward.

"How could he not? And from the sounds of it, he's not the only instructor who finds you irresistible." _Oh Bella, your jealousy is such a turn on, I'm sure. Way to corner him and make him feel obligated to explain._

Edward groaned, "Yeah well, she's not too picky. I saw her eyefucking your brother on more than one occasion this week so I can't say that little tidbit of information flatters me in the least. You have nothing to worry about, believe me."

"Haha, Cullen, I wouldn't say I was worried...I'd say it was more like curiosity."

"Right," he chuckled. _Arrogant bastard. Gorgeous, arrogant, intuitive bastard whose laugh is so sexy it makes me tingle in places that shouldn't even know you exist yet. _"Ok, enough talk about the inappropriateness that is my RTO...I'd rather talk about one of the texts you sent me earlier."

"Oh really? Which one?"

"Well, I'll be honest with you, Bella...I'm intrigued about that last text of yours. Were you implying that you enjoyed our kiss this afternoon? Because I did. And I can promise you, we _will_ be doing that again. Soon."

_Alright, it's official. In one phone conversation, Police Recruit FuckMeEyes has been promoted to Police Recruit FuckMePlease. And Police Recruit FuckMePlease is going to be the death of me - but at least I'll die happy, I'm quite certain of that..._

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Let's see...Copward's brought the handcuffs and the nightstick already - This time, if you show some love and review, he just might feel the need to perform a strip search...**


	5. Manetaining Appearances

**A/N: Welcome back to the latest installment in the lives of Copward and Snarkella. I want to thank everyone for all the love you have been giving me as we take this journey together. I can't even begin to tell you all how much I appreciate each and every one of you. I also want to send a big shout out to all my new readers! WELCOME!! **

**As always, I must thank my amazing betafish, Britpacksuccubus. Without her, there would be no Making the Cut, as she offers me constant love and support, even when I'm whining my crabby ass off to her. :) **

**I also want to thank the beautiful Kassiah for featuring my little story on The Fictionators Blog last week, as well as tweeting and rec'ing me all over the place. ILYSFM**

**Thanks also goes to Sunshine_00 for her mastah pimping skills. You are ah-mazing and I love you SO hard!**

**As usual, outfits are in my profile. :)**

**Stephenie Meyer's owns everything Twilight but Copward, Copsper and Sgt. Emmett are all mine! ;)**

* * *

**EPOV**

After surprising Bella and kissing her in the parking lot of Eclipse, I had a hard time focusing on anything other than her soft pink lips, her smell and the feeling of having my arms around her. It was all very overwhelming and frankly, a little disturbing. I felt like I was losing all control to this tiny, beautiful, brown-eyed woman and had no idea how to get it back.

I decided to stop at Safeway on my way home and try to occupy myself with finally getting some groceries in my house. After eating fast food all week and running my ass off at the academy, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up if I didn't start eating better. It just always seemed so pointless to cook when I was only cooking for myself. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like I had a choice in the matter anymore.

An hour later, I was pulling out of Safeway with Bella still on my mind and I was going crazy trying to keep myself from calling her. The lack of connection with her was killing me and I was beginning to realize that this was something I was going to have to learn to live with. In a mere week, I was whipped by a woman who wasn't even mine yet. Or was she? I knew she felt the connection between us or she wouldn't have kissed me the way she did. But I had this sickening need to hear the words confirming that she wanted me as much as I wanted her fall from her sexy lips and until I did, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get much done. _What the fuck, Cullen? When did you become such a bitch? Suck it the fuck up already. _

When I got home that night, I put away all the groceries and started dinner, having decided to make a homemade pizza à la Esme Cullen. It was on nights like these that I was grateful my mother insisted I know how to cook or being a bachelor would have sucked even more than it already did. _Fuck. I need to call my parents._ I picked up my phone and dialed their number but didn't hit send. There was no way I was going to call home with Bella at the forefront of my mind. My mother would pick up on that shit in a heartbeat and I just wasn't ready to face all of her incessant questions just yet. I _did _want to discuss it with my dad in the near future, get his opinion and see if he had any insight on how I had become such a fucking pussy-whipped motherfucker in the matter of a mere week - but for some reason, I wanted to save that discussion for later, too. And part of me wondered if that was because I knew he'd support my idiocy; because my father was nothing, if not supportive of me. And right now, I felt like I needed someone to kick my ass and help me morph back into the self-assured bastard I was before I had moved here.

I tried all night to get her off my mind. After dinner, I took a quick swim and then jumped in the jacuzzi to unwind from the stressful week. The warmth of the water enveloped me as I leaned my head back on the side of the tub and closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind and just fucking relax. Without fail, as I felt my tension begin to ease and started to doze off, my thoughts went right back to Bella and my dick stood at full attention...yet again. _Christ, does my fucking dick not realize I'm no longer a hormone infested seventeen year old boy? How many times this week do I have to jerk off before it actually lets up? What the _hell_ is this woman doing to me? _

The ache in my balls was more than I could take and before I had a chance to try and talk myself out of it, my left thumb hooked itself into the waistband of my trunks, yanking them out of the way as my right hand found it's way to my very erect cock. Grabbing my shaft firmly in my fist, I began stroking myself from the base to the tip, twisting slightly around the head before sliding my hand back down. I kept a steady pace and felt myself getting harder and harder as thoughts of Bella flooded my mind. I tightened my grip as I thought of how her firm round ass swayed from side to side as she walked. I stroked faster as I pictured her beautiful tits, remembering how it felt to have them pushed up against my chest earlier that afternoon as her nipples hardened from the excitement of our kiss. I began to imagine Bella's warm little mouth surrounding my engorged dick, running her tongue just below the ridge; as my hand palmed the head and I felt a tightening in my balls. I pumped my cock furiously and ecstasy overwhelmed me as I came hard and fast in the hot, steamy water, Bella's name falling from my lips.

I sat with my eyes closed for a few more minutes, allowing my heart rate to settle and catching my breath. As soon as I came back to my senses, I realized what I had just done and was irritated with myself for allowing my dick to take over for what had to have been about the hundredth time since I first laid eyes on Bella. Quickly yanking my trunks back up, I got out of the jacuzzi and grabbed my towel, cursing myself for cumming in the fucking water. _Now you're gonna have to drain the tub tomorrow you fucking perv. Nice one._

I shook my head as I walked across the cool deck and sat in one of the chairs by the outdoor fireplace, once again lost in my thoughts. I absentmindedly picked my iPhone up off the table next to me and started to text Bella. She had an affect on me that was unparalleled by anything else in my life and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no use in fighting it. I had to know what she was up to, who she was with and if she was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about her.

**Can't stop thinking about that kiss. -E**

_Oh my fuck, you are pathetic._

**Kiss? What kiss? :P -B**

_She is _so _going to make you work for this. Unfuckingbelievable. Are you going to cry now, pussy, or hit her back with something good?_

**OUCH. That hurt. You might have to kiss my ego and make it better. :) Whatcha doin? - E**

_Way to go, asshole. You started off strong and then your dick crawled up into your body and turned into a vagina. Whatcha doin? Seriously?_

**At dinner w/ur Sergeant. :P I might be inclined to kiss more than that, jsyk. Call u later? -B**

_Jesus Christ. And just like that, I'm hard again. Didn't I _just _take care of this problem a few minutes ago? This woman is giving me the worst case of blue balls I have ever experienced in my life and she doesn't even realize it._

**I'll be waiting...and wondering what else you're inclined to kiss while I wait. ;) - E**

_Thank God, your dick came out of hiding and you finally came up with something good._

I stood up and stretched before walking back across the patio to the French doors and walking into the cool, air conditioned house. I padded across the hardwood floors to my bedroom, having decided to take a cold shower and get my head screwed back on straight before Bella called. I was determined that our first actual phone conversation was going to get her as hot and bothered as she always seemed to be able to get me. But there was no way that was going to happen if I kept letting my brain get fogged up from the constant lust she evoked within me. It was time for me to take back some control before I ended up begging her to let me worship at her feet. Tonight, I was going to think with the right head.

Bella called about an hour later and I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable we were with each other and how easily our banter flowed when we talked, even more so than when we texted. While we were talking, she had surprised me with the information that Alice and her brother had made plans for the girls to come to the academy for lunch on Monday and I was simultaneously overcome with a mix of both anticipation and dread. I didn't want to have to hide what was happening between Bella and I from anyone, but I knew I had no choice but to do so for the time being. And I really hoped I was able to disguise my growing feelings for Bella in front of my class Sergeant, because if I wasn't, I knew he'd single me out and bring his ballbreaking to a whole new level. This would be a true test of my strength; harder than any test he would put us through in training. There was no doubt in my mind that I was already falling hard for Bella and that thought scared me more than anything else...even more than the thought of what her brother and father would do to me when they found out.

* * *

"What the fuck took you so long, man?" I plopped down in the passenger side of Jasper's Escalade, hissing as my skin came in contact with the black leather seats. "And why the fuck do you, of all people, have black leather seats?"

"Fuck you, dick. Have you forgotten that _you_ have black leather seats in your piece of shit Volvo?"

"First, I moved from what has to be the wettest city in the continental United States, so black leather seats were obviously far from an issue there while last time I checked, that was not the case in Texas. Second, have some motherfucking respect for the Volvo, asshole, or you'll be walking behind it when it's my turn to drive your ass to work."

Jasper chuckled. I had been waiting for him to pick me up for about an hour and he was fucking lucky I was still going out with him. I had spent the afternoon cleaning out the jacuzzi in the fucking heat which, truth be told, made me a crabby bitch. Then, when we talked earlier in the evening and he oh so kindly informed me where he was dragging me to, I wanted to go out even less than I had in the first place. Honestly, I had no idea what the nightlife in Phoenix had to offer, but the _last _place I would have _ever _chosen to go was The Cadillac Ranch. Flashes of Urban Cowboy filled my head as Jasper looked down at his MapQuest directions and headed towards what I could only describe as what was soon to be my own personal Hell.

"I swear to fucking God, Whitlock, if you so much as even_ try _to get me to ride a mechanical bull tonight, I will fucking hotwire your truck and leave you there without hesitation. Don't think I won't do it."

Jasper shook his head in frustration as he took a quick turn onto McClintock Drive. "Stop being such a fucking pussy, man. No one is going to make you ride anything you don't want to - and since we both know the only thing you want to ride is Sarge's sister, I have no expectations."

I narrowed my eyes at him and instantly regretted telling him about Bella earlier in the day. I should have known he would hold it over my head and use it against me at any opportunity he found, because that's what I would have done to him if the situation was reversed. We may have only known each other for a week, but all the suffering we had endured together at the hand of the not so Jolly Mean Giant, otherwise known as Sergeant Swan, had bonded our entire class relatively quickly. And since Jasper and I were the only two recruits from out of state, we had latched on to one another even more so. _Oh my Christ, Cullen...when did you get the sex change? The next thing you know, you're going to be having slumber parties and braiding each other's hair._

"Can we _not _talk about Bella tonight? I thought you wanted to have a good time and get my mind _off _of the fact that Sarge is going to have me by the fucking balls when he finds out." I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath. Just saying her name made my dick stir and this was _not _the time to have to deal with a motherfucking boner. And the fact that I could actually have a boner in light of the fact that I had just talked about her brother castrating me, was even more disturbing. _Dear God, please help me find my manhood again. I seem to have misplaced it somewhere and am starting to lose all hope that I'll ever get it back._

"Didn't you say Sarge is interested in one of her friends? And doesn't that mean that turn about is fair play?"

"That may ring true in Bella's case but not mine. Besides, she's not just our class instructor's sister, but she's the fucking daughter of the _Chief. _I'm so screwed."

"You are, dude," Jasper said, laughing and then added more seriously, "I sincerely hope she's worth it because this could really fuck your life up if things don't work out. Shit, this could fuck up your life even if things _do _work out."

I thought about what he just said and knew he was right...but in that moment, more than any other moment before, I knew it didn't matter. She _was _worth it. I was certain of that fact. Before meeting Bella, I hadn't realized that I was missing something in my life. In fact, I really thought I was happy and fulfilled. But after knowing her, even for the short time I had, I knew that if I was to lose her presence in my life, I wouldn't feel complete. The day I met her, I knew I had to have her and there was no going back now. "Yeah. She's worth it. You'll see. Now, can we _please_ talk about something else? You never did tell me why you were so fucking late. Wait, lemme guess...Felix?"

Jasper groaned. He had been living with his cousin, Felix, since arriving in town and to say it was not working out would be an understatement. Felix was a total pothead which made for a less than desirable roommate to a police officer in training. _Talk about a conflict of interest. _They were constantly arguing and because technically, the townhouse belonged to Felix and Jasper was just paying rent, Felix didn't give a shit about the fact that he was putting Jasper's career in jeopardy. "Of _course _that cocksucker is the reason I was late to pick you up. I walked into the guest bathroom downstairs to take a piss before I left and was greeted by a 4 foot Cannabis plant. I guess he had been growing in his master bathroom but felt it would get better light in the guest bath because of the window in there. Can you believe this shit? It's one thing that he fucking smokes it constantly, but _growing it? _Dude, I gotta move."

I ran my fingers through my hair, realizing how crazy it was that I was even contemplating saying what I was about to say, but knowing that it was the right thing to do. "Listen, I have a ton of room at my place. Why don't you move in with me? You can just pay me whatever you're paying Felix and we'll figure the rest out as we go."

Jasper didn't say a word as he pulled into a parking space at Tempe Market Place and put his SUV into park. He turned his head to look over at me in what could only be described as shock and rubbed his face a few times before speaking. "Are you sure, man? I mean, I totally fucking appreciate the offer, but I don't want to put you out."

"Now who's being the pussy? Just shut the fuck up and say 'yes' before I change my mind."

Jasper shrugged his shoulders, laughing. "Ok then, man. I guess you've got yourself a roommate." _Slumber parties, here we come. _

* * *

The drive into work on Monday was quiet. Jasper and I were both exhausted from spending the entire day before moving his shit from Felix's townhouse to my place. And while I had needed the distraction from the anticipation of seeing Bella when she and her friends came to visit her brother for lunch, I would have enjoyed a little more downtime considering the fact that this coming week we were going to be focusing on PT more than we had the week prior. We both knew that meant we were going to be pushed to our physical limits and then some - Sergeant Swan was like the fucking Terminator when it came to physical fitness and his RTO's weren't far behind him. Well, all but Denali. She was too busy either flaunting her assets or checking out everyone else's to deliver a decent physical beatdown, which was why she was _never_ in charge of PT...Sarge ruled with an iron fist in that department and was way too smart to let her fuck that shit up.

It was Jasper's week to drive so I leaned my head back on the headrest and closed my eyes, trying to get a few more minutes of rest before starting the day but the wheels in my mind kept spinning and I knew it was no use. I was so damn excited to see Bella that I felt like a little kid on Christmas Eve, anticipating Santa's arrival. _This is _not _normal. _Since there was obviously no use fighting the urge, I gave in and grabbed my phone out of my pocket.

**Is it lunchtime yet? I can't wait to see your beautiful face...among other things. ;) - PRFME**

_Yep, that's right...I signed that shit Police Recruit FuckMeEyes. If she's gonna use it, so am I._

Jasper looked over at me with a smirk on his face. The motherfucker could feel the emotions rolling off of me in waves and, without a doubt, knew what I was up to. I really couldn't believe how good my luck had been since moving to Phoenix. Not only had I had the good fortune of landing my ass in Bella's chair for that haircut a little over a week ago, but I also caught a serious fucking break when Jasper and I had gotten assigned to each other for carpooling. He was what my dad would describe as "good people" and I had no doubt that we would remain friends for years to come. He was my Alice, as Bella had pointed out when I told her I had offered to let him move in with me on Saturday. _Oh my damn, I am such a fucking girl...one of these days my balls might actually drop and I'll find my masculinity again but from the looks of it, that's not going to be happening anytime soon. _

I didn't hear back from Bella on the ride in, so I assumed she was still asleep. It didn't surprise me - who the fuck in their right mind was up at 4:30 am by choice? I wouldn't have been if I didn't have a reason to be, that's for sure. Recognizing that I had given up on the idea of sleep, Jasper decided to plug in his iPod in an effort to get our blood pumping before we reached the academy parking lot where our instructors would undoubtedly be waiting to kick our asses. After the psychological warfare we endured during our regularly scheduled morning line-up, we were told to change into our PT uniforms and meet in the auditorium to practice our drills before warming up and taking a two mile run. Jasper had cut back on the smoking and actually made it through the entire run without puking. To say I was grateful would be an understatement and I made sure to impress that upon my new roommate as we walked back to the locker room.

"Praise Jesus, we made it through a run without Whitlock barfing up his breakfast. I'm writing this down on my calendar." RTO Clearwater chuckled and gave me a high five as Jasper leered at me.

"You do that, Cullen. And you can write it in your diary, too...right next to all your hopes and dreams for the future, ya fucking pussy." I couldn't help but laugh. I had no idea how he did it, but Jasper was always able to say shit like that with a straight face, which made the statement even funnier than it was in the first place.

We got cleaned up and took our fifteen minute break, during which Jasper avoided the smoking area like the plague. My phone vibrated when we were on our way back to class allowing me to read a text from Bella, but not affording me the time to reply.

**PRFME, huh? U better watch it, smartass or that's as far as ur gonna get. LOL C U soon. -B**

I couldn't stop the smile that spread from one side of my face to the other as I put my phone back in my pocket and heard Jasper whistle. "What?" I asked, annoyed by the smug little grin he had on his face when I looked up at him.

"Man, you are _so _gone," he said, patting me on the back as if to reinforce his point.

"Ya think?" I asked sarcastically. "Shit, tell me something I don't already know."

* * *

**BPOV**

I stood in my closet, looking around and trying to decide what to wear. I wanted to look sexy for Edward, yet not too sexy for fear of tipping my brother off that I was up to something. I actually considered telling him that I knew one of his students after what had transpired between Rosalie and him on Friday night, but after a lot of thought on the subject, I knew it wasn't a good idea. Informing him of my constant texting and, now, late night phone calls, would only cause tension for all of us and after the break-up with Jake, I just wasn't ready to deal with any of that shit head on. I knew I had to figure out a way around this little deal we had made...just as he had with Rosalie. There _had_ to be some kind of loophole and given enough time, I'd figure out what it was.

So, in the meantime, Edward and I had discussed it and decided it was better to just keep things quiet and stay out of Emmett's line of vision until we really knew what exactly it was that was going on between us. Until we had some kind of defined explanation for what we were together. It astounded me that in such a short time we were both already contemplating what we may or may not become as well as openly communicating with each other about it. I had learned in a very short time that Edward was not shy in verbalizing his thoughts and feelings - and either was I for that matter - but I had never felt so comfortable with someone so quickly in my entire life. _Maybe it's because you're both crazy and that affords you a certain level of comfort...an even playing field...two crazies swooning over each other regularly. Fabulous._

I walked back out into my bedroom, picking up my watch off my dresser and glancing at the time. _Shit. _I had less than an hour to finish my hair and get dressed. I was seriously fucking irritated with myself for being so God damned particular and getting so behind schedule. I had a closet full of clothes and there was really no excuse for how long it was taking me to actually find something to wear. I walked back into my closet, determined to grab the first thing that caught my eye. Luckily it happened to be a grey flower printed Jean Paul Gaultier camisole top, which made my boobs look amazing. I paired that with a pair of cuffed white denim capris, brown strappy high heeled sandals and grabbed a brown shrug, just in case I got too cold in the air conditioning. _God knows I won't need it outside. Fucking 98 degrees in October. I swear to God, summer gets longer and longer every year...fuck my life._

After getting dressed and straightening my naturally wavy hair, I grabbed a brown leather handbag that matched my sandals, making sure to put everything I needed in it, and headed downstairs to wait for Rosalie. I walked into the kitchen, grabbing a Diet Coke out of the fridge and busying myself with putting the dishes from breakfast in the dishwasher. I couldn't help but giggle to myself as I anticipated Rosalie's reaction when she saw what Alice had chosen to wear to lunch. Alice had come into my bathroom earlier to get my opinion on her chosen attire and when I gave it to her, she decided she didn't want it anymore. _What the fuck ever. You ask my opinion, you get it, bitch...at least I'm honest. Cue the evil smile._

Alice came flying down the stairs just in time for the doorbell to ring, signaling Rosalie's arrival.

"Al, can you please grab the door? I'm doing the dishes."

"Yep! Got it!"

I heard the heels of her boots as she scurried across the foyer, followed by the click of the lock as she released it to open the door and let her sister in. I turned off the water and put the last coffee mug in the dishwasher as I heard the door close and Alice's singsongy voice yell to me, "Bella, your future sister-in-law is here!" _Bitch._ I hurried to shut the dishwasher, drying my hands off on a dishtowel and rushing as fast as my feet would take me into the foyer to ensure I had a good view of Rosalie's face when she realized what Alice was wearing. I heard a loud gasp as I rounded the corner and experienced an undeniable feeling of satisfaction come over me when I realized that I wasn't too late.

"Jesus Christ, Alice! What the _fuck_ are you wearing?" Rosalie covered her mouth as she looked her sister up and down, eyes wide in shock.

Alice narrowed her eyes and flipped her off, then turned back to me, flipping me off for the second time that day. I had given her the exact same reaction earlier and I had warned her Rosalie would say something about it...fact of the matter was, it was way too good to pass up. It wasn't that she looked bad - Alice never looked bad - but it was very evident from her tiny black shorts and suede black high heeled boots that she was on the prowl. She did, however, add a touch of class to her ensemble with a white and black checked organza bustier that had an elegant black silk belt tied into a tasteful bow on the side of her waist and a black Fiord cover up that I suggested she wear because of the frigid temperature the rooms at the academy tended to be kept at. "Eat shit, both of you," Alice said with a growl.

"Wow, you are _such_ a lady," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes and giggling at her. "You don't look _bad..._that's not what I'm saying. But Jesus, could you leave _something _to the imagination?"

Alice stuck out her tongue. "Now why would I want to do that, sister dear? Today is the day that I meet the man of my dreams and when I do, I want to make sure that _I _am the only thing he sees."

Rosalie and I both chuckled. Alice had been going on and on about meeting "Mr. Right" since she had made the plans with Emmett for us to join him for lunch. Emmett had insisted that she stay away from his recruits, telling her the same rules applied for roommates as they did sisters but she was having none of that bullshit. And seeing as Emmett had blatantly ignored my wishes that he not date one of my co-workers, he knew he really didn't have a leg to stand on. Sure, he wasn't pursuing Alice anymore, but that was a mere technicality. I distinctly remembered telling him he couldn't screw around with her because she was a roommate _and _a co-worker and while Rosalie didn't fall into both of the categories, she sure as shit fell into one. So, it was only fair that I take Alice's side in the argument and point that fact out to Emmett - besides, I knew helping Alice gain some footing would benefit me in the long run. I knew I was eventually going to have to tell him about Edward and I was seriously not fucking looking forward to that exchange.

"Um...yeah...I don't think you're going to have to worry about that, Alice," Rosalie said, bringing me out of my thoughts, "every horny recruit in that building is going to have their eyes all over your ass in those shorts."

I narrowed my eyes at her, waiting for her to change her statement and take Edward out of that equation. When she didn't look at me, I cleared my throat, making sure to catch her attention.

"Oh shit," she shook her head and grimaced before continuing," all but _one_. There, Bella, is that better? Man, spending time with the two of you is like working in a fucking daycare center...one of you is _always _whining about something. Can we please go now?" She checked herself out in the mirror on the wall in the foyer quickly before turning back to face us.

"In a hurry, Rose?" Alice snickered, looking at her sister smugly.

"Fuck you, Alice. Emmett said we had to be there by 11:30 and we still have to stop and get lunch so we need to get a move on."

"Jesus, ladies...and I used that term loosely...how's about we put our claws away and play nice for the rest of the day, ok? I'm fucking nervous as hell that I'm going to lose control of myself as soon as I see Edward and spill my guts to my brother and I really need you two to stop fighting and help keep me in line. Can you do that for me?" I stared them both down menacingly, letting them know I meant business as they both nodded silently in assent. "Good, then let's get this show on the road."

We all filed into my Mercedes, Rosalie giving Alice the excuse that she needed to sit shotgun so as not to wrinkle her charcoal capri slacks. With her capris, she wore a red Vivienne Westwood jersey top that had thick straps and a square neckline with a little bit of draping to it and she topped her outfit off with a gorgeous pair of black and gray suede Christian Louboutin peep toe heels and a black suede purse. As she slipped on her oversized Chanel sunglasses, I mentally scolded myself for not anticipating my brother's desire for her. Rosalie's classic beauty was unmatched by anyone I had ever known before and Emmett would've had to have been blind not to notice. _You may not have a dick, Bella, but you _do _have eyes for Christ's sake. You should've seen this whole thing coming a mile away but you were too wrapped up in salivating over Police Recruit FuckMePlease's goods to notice until it was too late. And how I _do_ plan to salivate all over his goods sometime in the not too distant future. Oh Christ, I'm gonna be in _so _much trouble today..._

The drive to the academy was rather uneventful, thank God. Alice pretty much spent the entire drive putting Rose through her version of the Spanish Inquisition about what was going on with Emmett. There were a few times I had to hold back the urge to puke when Rosalie was droning on and on about how he made her feel because for fuck's sake, no one wants to hear that shit about their brother. I got a text message from Emmett while I was driving instructing me to hit the Fazzoli's drive-thru on the way in because he had a taste for it. If it was anyone else, I'd tell them they'd eat whatever I brought them, but because food was like breathing to my brother, I decided to just go with it even though I had to drive a little out of my way to pick it up for him.

By the time I pulled into the parking lot of the academy, my stomach was in knots and when I noticed my father's car sitting there, my stomach felt like it fell out of my body and hit the floor of my car. I audibly gasped and watched as Alice and Rose's eyes followed my gaze and widened in recognition. _What the fuck is he doing here? And why didn't Emmett mention anything to me when he texted me? The way that motherfucker eats, there's no way I got enough food for Charlie, too. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _

We all got out of the car and walked toward the main office where we would have to wait for Emmett to come get us. The secretary greeted me as soon as we walked in, recognizing me from my many visits with my father over the years. Both Emmett and I had been dragged here on many occasions for one thing or another - especially when Charlie was trying to convince Emmett he didn't have to leave the state to carve his own path in their mutual field.

"Nice to see you again, Bella," the older red head behind the desk said with a friendly smile, waving at the three of us.

"You, too, Victoria," I replied, lifting up the bags of food I was carrying as if to explain my visit.

"I already called down to your brother's classroom when I saw you coming to let him know you're here. He was in the middle of something but said he'd send someone to come and get you girls. Your dad's somewhere around here, too."

"Yeah, I saw his car. Do you know what he's here for?"

"I think he came to talk to one of the classes that's close to graduation - he does it every cycle. You know you're dad, he's very hands on." I nodded and sat down next to Alice in one of the chairs that lined the office. I bit my lip nervously as we waited for our escort, both girls staring at me, realizing for the first time just how nervous I really was. I felt Alice's hand on one of my knees, trying to calm me and get me to stop bouncing my foot incessantly as I focused on a spot in the carpet and tried to zone out.

"Oh, here come a couple of your brother's cadets right now," I heard Victoria's nasally voice ring out as the glass door leading out to the campus creaked, swinging open. I looked up and my heart sputtered when I realized that, as luck would have it, Emmett had sent Edward and another, tall sandy blond haired man to retrieve us_. _As soon as our eyes met, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk and I felt the warmth begin to creep over my face. _Fuck! Goddamn telltale blush. Maintain, Bella...Victoria will waste no time gossiping to both your father _and _your brother if she catches on to any hanky panky. Hanky Panky? Really? What is this the fucking 1950's?_

Rosalie cleared her throat and walked towards Edward with her hand extended. She took care of introductions, acting as if we were all strangers and I felt an overwhelming need to kiss her for stepping in when my brain had stopped functioning due to Edward's close proximity. _Thank God for you, Rosalie. May God strike me down if I say anything bad about you today. That's right, I said 'today' because I'm realistic and even I know I can't go much longer than that without saying _something _bitchy and sarcastic. _

I realized, as I started to come out of my Edward induced stupor that Alice and the man we had just learned was Jasper, were eyeing each other up and down coyly - and Alice was _never _coy. Again, I was amazed by my lack of foresight. I had been telling Edward all weekend that Jasper was his Alice because their friendship reminded me so much of ours. But never once did it dawn on me that he and Alice might be perfect for each other. I had been too busy thinking about all the dirty things I wanted to do to...and with...Edward. _Ok, so maybe I have a one track mind. But who the fuck could blame me? I mean, _look _at him. No wait, don't look at him. Look away. You need your brain to actually function right now. Especially since your dad is somewhere on campus, too. Reign it in, Bella...you can do this. _

I felt a hand on my shoulder, bringing me back to the here and now. "Can I carry that for you, ma'am?" Jasper reached his other hand out towards the bags of food I was carrying. _Oh Jesus, a southern gentleman. I'm willing to bet Alice is in dire need of a panty change right about now. Fuck, why do I allow myself to think this way? All the bleach I've been needing to sanitize it lately is undoubtedly going to destroy my already less than fully functioning brain. _I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts as I handed Jasper the bags, thanking him for his help. "Sarge said to lead you ladies to the lunchroom so you can get situated and he'll join you as soon as he's done. He also gave Cullen and I explicit instructions to stay with you at all times and make sure your eyes didn't wander to anywhere they shouldn't...those were his exact words."

"Yep, that sounds just like the overgrown child I call my brother," I said, laughing. In all honesty, I should have been pissed that Emmett was having two of his students babysit us, but I couldn't find it within me to feel that way when he had foolishly chosen Edward and Jasper to do so. _Serves you right, asshole. Karma is a bitch, isn't it?_

Edward opened the office door, letting Jasper walk out and gesturing for us to follow behind him. Alice, of course, jumped in directly behind Jasper, followed closely by her sister who was trying to be inconspicuous about letting me lag behind a little so I could walk with Edward. As I walked past him out the door, I turned my head slightly only to catch him eyeing my ass with a shit eating grin on his face when he realized I'd noticed. _Oh yeah, Police Recruit FuckMeEyes is back with a vengeance._

As the door shut behind us, I felt Edward's hand on the small of my back, as if to lead me in the right direction. Really, who were we kidding? I had been to the fucking academy more times than I could count on both hands _and _feet and yet the warmth of his hand on my body felt so right that there was no way I was going to pull away because I needed to be close to him. More than I ever thought possible. And in that moment, I knew he felt the same way...he would have never taken such a big chance with my brother so close by if he didn't. And that thought alone, made me more certain than I'd ever been before that I wanted this. I wanted him. And I was willing to do whatever it took to make things work, whether Emmett - or Charlie for that matter - liked it or not.

Alice and Jasper chatted animatedly as we walked to the cafeteria. There was no mistaking Alice's interest in Edward's new roommate and I couldn't fucking wait until Emmett caught wind of that fact. Knowing Alice the way I did, she was in no way going to hide it from him - especially since he had so quickly dropped his infatuation for her as soon as her leggy blonde step-sister entered his line of sight. _Dear Emmett, you know how I said Karma is a bitch? When it comes to Alice, payback is usually a bigger one._

Just as I had suspected, by the time Emmett made his way to where we were sitting in the cafeteria, Alice already had Jasper's phone number programmed in her cell phone under the name Police Recruit SexOnAStick complete with a picture of him for the caller ID that she had snapped while we were waiting. Alice meant business and when she wanted something, she usually got it, so I wasn't shocked in the least. _Looks like your hoochy mama shorts worked after all, Little Miss Smartypants._

After dismissing Edward and Jasper to go have lunch with their classmates, Emmett gave both Alice and I a huge bear hug before making his way over to where Rosalie was sitting. I watched as he bent down and whispered something in her ear, making her blush and then ghosted his lips across her cheek with a chaste kiss. Their exchange, though very innocent, had an underlying intimacy that I had never seen either of them exhibit before and it floored me that they were so comfortable with each other already. Emmett hadn't had a serious relationship since Kate and Rosalie always kept her boyfriends at an arms length, never letting that final wall down and letting them in completely. It was different with my brother, though...Emmett had already staked his claim on her the night they met and she was fucking eating it up. Now that shit _did _shock me.

Lunch was relatively uneventful although I was having a hard time focusing on anything other than the fact that Edward was so close to me and yet I couldn't have any contact with him in any way. When I heard Emmett talk about giving us a tour as he was finishing up his lasagna, I knew that was my only chance to bow out gracefully without any suspicion on his part and sneak away to spend some time with Edward. I pulled my Blackberry out of my purse and quickly texted Edward to let him know what I was up to and see if he could break away.

**Meet me behind the auditorium in 5? - B**

**God, yes. - E**

"Alright, Stinkerbell, we'll be back in about ten minutes. You're sure you don't want to come along just so you're not stuck here by yourself?" Emmett asked as he gathered up the trash from our lunches so he could toss it on the way out.

"Nope, I'm good," I said, trying to sound calm and nonchalant and hoping to God I had succeeded. "Go show off to your adoring fans. I'll be here when you come back, I promise."

He must have been convinced because he put an arm around Alice, walking towards the exit and tossing the trash before putting his other arm around Rosalie and walking out of the door and out of my line of vision completely. I could feel Edward's eyes on me as I slowly got up and made my way to the door on the opposite side of the building and walked out, taking long strides towards the auditorium. I quickly scanned the area to make sure neither my brother nor my father, who I still hadn't run into, were anywhere in sight before slipping through the tree lined area beside the building and making my way to the back to wait for Edward. Within seconds, I heard his footsteps as they came up and stopped right behind me and felt the warmth of his body as he snaked his arms around my waist and I leaned my head back onto his chest.

"I've been thinking about doing this all day," he said in a husky voice, leaning forward and softly kissing the shell of my ear. My entire body shivered in response despite how motherfucking hot it was outside. I turned around to face him, running my hands up his muscular arms and resting them on his shoulders as he looked at me with the lopsided grin that did me in every time. "Scratch that, I've been thinking about doing this since Friday."

"Me, too," I said, honestly. I gasped as he tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer to him. He looked at me with a desire that burned right through me as he bent his head down and inched his face closer to mine. My hands found their way to the back of his neck, threading themselves through his hair as I pulled him even closer in a desperate need to taste him on my lips. I slid my left hand down across his perfectly chiseled jaw as I met him halfway and our lips crashed together in a frenzied kiss. I felt his tongue swipe across my bottom lip, begging for entrance as my lips parted, inviting him in. As our tongues tangled together, I felt his hands run up my back, twisting his fingers in my long hair and pulling me impossibly closer to him. It felt as if he was trying to consume me and I gave myself to him willingly, my body aching for more of him with each stroke of his tongue. Edward brought his hands to cup my face as our lips parted reluctantly, both of us taking a staggering breath.

I loosened my grip in his hair as he pulled his head back slightly and wrapped his arms around my waist once again. He ran his nose along my jawline, kissing me gently below the ear before whispering, "God, Bella, you smell so fucking good."

As I opened my mouth respond, I heard a throat clear behind me and I froze realizing we were no longer alone. My eyes met Edward's and I immediately saw the fear that must have mirrored my own, explaining without words that we were undoubtedly fucked. I braced myself as I spun around, Edward's arms still draped loosely around me, and stared in shock at the presence I was greeted with. _You have _got _to be fucking kidding me. _

* * *

**Alright my lovelies...I'm interested to know who YOU think caught our two lovebirds kissing. Leave me some love and let me know your theories! And if you do, you can have a visit from your police officer of choice: Copward, Copsper and Sgt. Emmett are all up for grabs...literally. ;)**


	6. Hairy Situations

**A/N: Ok, so this is going to be an EPIC A/N for me. First, I want to thank everyone for being patient for me and not PM'ing me about the fact that it's been longer than normal between chapters. I don't really know what to say except that I've had a lot going on and for some reason, I hit a little bit of a block which made it impossible for me to write for almost two weeks. I sincerely apologize for the delay and appreciate everyone who stood by me during it. I love you all for your loyalty and your fuckawesome reviews and hope that this chapter was worth the wait. **

**During my downtime, I acquired an amazing addition to Team MtC – nicnicd has started pre-reading for me and her help has been invaluable. Thanks, Nicki! **

**In addition, I want to give a shout-out to Kharizzmatik who is a new friend, but an amazing one. She listened to me bitch when I was stuck and offered me un-ending advice in both my personal life, as well as in regard to my writing and I can't thank her enough for her support. **

**Thanks also goes to ilsuocantante and Kassiah who stuck with me through all my bullshit and my whining and helped me get my "mojo" back. ILY both SFM!**

**Last but not least, I want to thank my beta, Britpacksuccubus who spent hours with me today to make sure this chapter was what I wanted it to be. I really appreciate it! :)**

**Outfits are in my profile and some peeps were asking for bigger pics of their houses so Nostalgicmiss made me new collages – they are BEAUTIFUL, so check em out. LOL**

**One more thing and I'll STFU so you can actually read what you came here to read…**

**Please help the fandom give back to an amazing cause called Alex's Lemonade Stand as they help fight childhood cancer. Ninapolitan, LolaShoes and tby789 set up a terrific auction to raise funds for them and some really incredible people are going to be participating. Check out the following link for more information and please be sure to help the children.**

**http://www . thefandomgivesback . com/**

**Stephenie Meyer's owns everything Twilight**

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**EPOV**

I couldn't believe my fucking luck. I saw Bella lean over and fish her Blackberry out of her purse as she sat with her back to me and when my phone vibrated in my pocket a few seconds later, I knew her mind was right where mine had been since I'd laid eyes on her in the office. I needed to be enveloped in her scent, touch her soft skin and kiss her beautiful lips...to be with her...alone. And thank fucking God, it seemed she needed that, too. _You are one lucky motherfucker, Cullen...don't you fucking forget it._

**Meet me behind the auditorium in 5? - B**

_Fucking dick, are you _ever _not hard? Apparently not._

**God, yes. - E**

_I think my dick just typed that text for me...and groaned afterwards in anticipation._

I watched Bella's fantastic ass sway from side to side as she left the room, waited a few seconds to make sure no one was paying attention and then followed her. I felt like a hunter tracking my prey as I caught a hint of her scent and pursued it, getting more and more impatient with each step. Being with her had become more than a desire; it had become a need and I wasn't going to be able to make it through the day if I wasn't able to get at least five minutes alone with her. _Five minutes. It's really not that much to ask for, is it?_

Obviously, it was. I had found Bella waiting for me and experienced the hottest motherfucking kiss I had ever experienced in my life...and I had been kissed more than my fair share in my lifetime. But nothing else compared to the feeling of her in my arms, her lips on mine, her hot little tongue in my mouth. With every stroke of her tongue, my dick got harder and harder, to the point where it took everything I had not to throw her on the ground and fuck her right there, for the entire campus to see - her brother and father included.

She was so amazing that I was half tempted to stop her and ask her if she was real because she was like a fucking dream come true and yet better than anything I could have ever conjured up in my simple mind. Everything about her drew me in and made me want more - I wondered if she had any idea how into her I really was and if it was possible that she felt even close to the same way about me. I had to pull away to catch my breath and gain some perspective, but having her so close, the taste of her still in my mouth, challenged my self control more than I ever thought possible.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and couldn't stop myself from running my nose along her jawline, inhaling her scent. Her essence was nothing short of perfection...the sweetness of vanilla flawlessly complimenting the clean, crisp smell of lavender. I kissed her gently below her ear and told her how fucking good she smelled because Jesus Christ and all that is holy, Bella smelled fucking amazing - there was no denying that. I felt her open her mouth and waited for her response, wondering if I was pushing too fast and taking things too far considering we hadn't even been on a date yet. But instead of hearing her response, I heard a throat clear and I knew at that moment that I wasn't as lucky as I had previously thought. _What. The. Fuck._

Reluctantly, I pulled back from the beautiful woman in my arms, straightening up to face the fierce blue eyes that were staring back at me, causing my heart to plummet to my knees. Bella's body tensed up in my arms, looking up and meeting my worried gaze with a look of fear in her eyes that must have mirrored my own. I loosened my grip on Bella's waist, still not able to completely break hold of her, but allowing her to turn around and face the person who interrupted us - someone we hadn't even considered when hoping to be inconspicuous. We were so busy trying to hide from her brother and father that we gave no thought to RTO Denali catching us. And now that she had, there was no doubt in my mind that she would waste no time going to them and reporting what she had just cockblocked with her nosey ass.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here?" she said, her tone both gleefully triumphant and snide. _Fuck. _"The Sergeant's little sister kissing one of his favorite recruits. Not exactly what I had expected to find waiting here for me, that's for sure."

I swallowed hard as the realization of what was unfolding in front of me started to come together in my head. Denali hadn't just accidentally found us, that much was obvious. The bitch must have been watching me earlier and had followed me here. I assumed Bella must have realized what was going on, as well as recognizing the venom in my RTO's voice because before I could manifest a response, she did it for me but the words that came out of her mouth were more unexpected than the fact that we had gotten caught.

"Unfuckingbelievable. Are you kidding me? What the hell are the chances that _you _would be the fucking Tanya that works with my brother?" _No fucking way...last time I checked, I moved from a small town to a big city but somehow everyone in this fucking place seems to know each other. What the fuck is going on in my life?_

"Small world, huh, Bella?" Denali retorted, her usually sickeningly sweet voice laced with rancor.

Loosening my grip on Bella, I slid my left hand in my pocket while leaving my right arm draped around her waist holding her gently to my side. I needed to be able to look at her and try to make some sense of the exchange that was going on in front of me.

"Yeah, that's putting it nicely," Bella snapped back. "Since when are you a cop? Last I heard from Jake, you were a waitress at Hooters and fucking your boss's husband or something."

"Jacob Black is a liar," she responded defensively, narrowing her eyes at Bella in disgust. "I worked at Hooters a couple nights a week for extra money while I was going through the academy but I was _not _fucking my boss's husband...it was her brother."

My mouth fell open in absolute fucking astonishment as I watched the conversation continue. What the fuck was going on? I had been caught by a superior, behind the auditorium, with my tongue down the throat of my Sergeant's very sexy sister and yet, I felt a sense of relief wash over me when I realized Bella and Tanya Denali knew each other. And not only did they know each other but they did _not _like each other. I may have only known Bella for a short time, but I was fairly certain being on her shit list was _not _a desirable place to be and from the looks of things, my RTO was about to find that out first hand.

Bella snorted, covering her mouth as she tried to control her laughter. "Her _married _brother, right? I mean, I _do _remember that whoever it was that you were getting it on with was married - that's usually your style, afterall. You and I both know you tend to go after men you know are taken."

Denali chuckled, shaking her head and crossing her arms. She cocked her head to the side and glared even harder at Bella with a snide look on her face. "Wow. That's really hilarious, coming from you seeing as I just caught you playing tonsil hockey with someone other than your boyfriend. Does Jake know you're fucking one of your brother's recruits?"

Bella's hands were balled up in fists at her side and I could feel the anger rolling off of her in waves. Her small frame vibrated with suppressed rage as I held her to my side tightly, rubbing her hip in hopes of keeping her from lunging at my bitch of an instructor. I opened my mouth to try and interject and alleviate the situation but before I could say a word, Bella shook her head and held up her hand to let me know she had it under control.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Jacob and I are no longer together. Edward and I, on the other hand, are," she said, grabbing hold of the hand I had resting on her hip and pulling it to her lips so she could kiss it softly. I felt like a fucking idiot, but couldn't stop the stupid grin that pulled at my mouth from hearing those words come out of hers.

I'd wanted verbal confirmation from her and although I was ecstatic to hear it, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried that she was just saying it to piss Denali off. There was very obviously bad blood between the two of them and I didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.

"Really?" Denali said in a condescending tone, "does your brother know about this? Because if he doesn't, I'm _certain _he'd find this little tidbit of information quite interesting."

Without hesitation, Bella went in for the kill. "Oh, I'm quite sure he would, too, Tanya. It's unfortunate you won't have the opportunity to tell him, though, isn't it?"

Denali furrowed her brow and shook her head again, this time in confusion. "Are you nuts? Of _course_ I'm going to tell him. Why would I pass up an opportunity to make you squirm?"

"Because I'm pretty sure you like your job and if you tell my brother what you saw back here, I can't help but assume he's going to want to know what you were doing back here in the first place. And when he finds out you were following Edward, in hopes of doing with him what_ I _was doing with him, I can guarantee you you'll lose your job."

I didn't think it was possible, but seeing Bella all feisty and smart and shit made my dick, which seemed to be in a constant state of arousal since meeting her, even harder right there, in the presence of my supervisor. _This is fucking insane._ _It's only been a week but I swear to God in heaven if I don't fuck this woman soon, my cock is going to fucking crack __and fall__ off from petrification. She has _got _to have some kind of penis voodoo doll in her possession or something - there is no other explanation._

Both women stood facing each other in a silent rage, neither wanting to relent. I made a note to find out what the fuck had happened between them in the past that made them dislike each other so distinctly but there wasn't enough time for that now. I glanced at my watch and noticed we had ten more minutes until I had to be back in class and if we didn't wrap this up soon, my RTO wouldn't have to tell Sarge what had happened because he'd start looking for his sister and inevitably find us all on his own. I cleared my throat, trying to figure out how to diffuse the situation and hurry things along without putting my ass on the chopping block.

Bella looked at me and winked confidently before directing her attention back to Denali. "So, I think we're done here, Tanya. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to give Edward a proper goodbye before my brother notices I'm missing." She turned to face me, pulling my arms around her waist before cocking her head to the side so she could dismiss my RTO with a wave of her hand. "Run along now. I'm sure you can find some other recruit to molest before you need to be back in the classroom."

I couldn't stop a smirk from pulling at the corner of my mouth when Tanya spun around with a growl and stomped off in defeat. Once she was out of sight completely, I turned my attention back to the strong, beautiful woman in my arms. I was seriously in awe of her while at the same time feeling like a Goddamned pussy for letting her handle the situation that had just unfolded. "I have to admit that I just found that whole exchange extremely hot," I told her, pulling her closer to me.

"I bet you did, Police Recruit FuckMeEyes. What man doesn't enjoy seeing two women fight over him?" Bella looked up at me through her lashes, licking her lips as she ran her index finger up my arm and slid her hand across my shoulder and behind my neck. I felt the now familiar surge of electricity that consumed me whenever she touched me and I couldn't resist the urge to bend down and kiss her full lips with every ounce of the passion she always seemed to evoke within me. She threaded her fingers in my hair, pulling me even closer to her and matching my passion with the same intensity that was there before Denali had walked up and found us.

Before I could deepen the kiss, I felt her tongue sweep across my bottom lip, begging for entrance and who the fuck was I to deny this woman anything? I opened my lips to her, sucking her tongue inside my mouth and massaging it with my own as I allowed myself to get lost in the moment and dropped my right hand down to cup her perfect, round ass which I had been dreaming of since the day we met. I couldn't help it that everything about her called to me on such an odd, unlikely level. My mind was always so..._preoccupied_ with thoughts of her. Her face, her smile, her banging body...

Groaning at the feel of her soft, denim covered ass, I pulled her to me tighter - desperate to have her closer. At my touch, she jumped and pulled away from me, causing me to mentally beat the shit out of myself for pushing her too far. _Jesus Cullen, why don't you just maul her? _Before I could apologize, she pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her pants and held it up in explanation. "Text message," she murmured as we both fought to catch our breath. She read the message and groaned in frustration, "Alice says they're on their way back to the cafeteria _and _they bumped into my dad so we need to head back before they realize I'm missing."

"Well," I said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and leaning forward to kiss her gently on her cheek, "at least I got my proper goodbye." I smiled at her mischievously and chuckled as a beautiful blush crept over her entire face. It amazed me how she could be so feisty and full of piss and vinegar one minute and then all fucking cute and shy the next - as if I wasn't aroused enough. _Shit._ Going back to class with a monstrous boner was probably not the best way to keep suspicion at bay. _Alright, Cullen...time to get your dick in check._ _Tanya Denali, Tanya Denali, Tanya...oh yeah...there we go. Nothing like thoughts of my RTO to instantly turn my hard-on soft._

_"_Come on," Bella grumbled. She took my hand and pulled me with her as she walked back towards the side of the building where we both knew we'd have to go our separate ways.

When we had gone as far as we could together, we looked at each other briefly and I pulled her hand to my mouth for a quick kiss before reluctantly letting go. "You know, Bella, I think it's about time I took you on an actual date."

"I'm confused," she responded slyly. "Was that a question or a statement?"

"Definitely a statement." _God you're a presumptuous, cocky bastard._

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that. Lucky for you, I completely agree," she said with a wink. "We'll talk about it later, okay? I don't think this is the way you want to meet Charlie and if I don't get back to the cafeteria, someone else is bound to find us...and this time, chances are I wouldn't be able to talk my way out of it."

I nodded in agreement, wishing we didn't have to keep up the charade but knowing it was best for the time being. If I was to be honest though, it really fucking sucked. I knew it wasn't because Bella was ashamed of me, but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern that she seemed so nonchalant about it...like it wasn't a big deal. And to me, it _was_. She had turned my world upside down in the matter of a week - she was everything I had been waiting for but never knew I was and I wanted to shout it from the fucking rooftops. _Oh my _God _Cullen. You _are _the woman in this relationship, there is absolutely no doubt now._

We parted ways with a quick kiss. I watched her walk away from me, turning around every few steps and looking at me like she was fighting the urge to just say "fuck it" and stay with me. Part of me really wanted her to come back while the other part - the part that valued my ass _not_ being handed to me on a platter - knew she had to keep going. And deep down, I knew she was doing all of this for me. She wasn't worried about her brother and father giving her a hard time for seeing me, she had told me that on more than one occassion. Bella was keeping things quiet in hopes of keeping me off her brother's radar while in the academy and I really was grateful for that...no matter how hard it was to comply.

When I made my way back to the cafeteria, Jasper was waiting for me with a look of suspicion covering his face. He cocked an eyebrow and just looked at me like a dumb motherfucker, waiting for me to spill it. "What?" I finally asked, the annoyance more than evident in my voice.

"Where the fuck did you go?" He leaned into me, looking around to make sure no one was listening and lowering his voice before continuing, "I went to go take a piss and when I came back, you were nowhere to be found. Then, a few minutes later, Denali came back looking like the cat that ate the canary...followed by you a few minutes later. Please tell me I don't need to swing by the free clinic on the way home so you can get yourself checked out?"

I chuckled and slapped him on the back of the head. "Fuck no, Dumbass! Sarge took your new eye candy and her sister on a little tour of the campus so Bella and I met behind the auditorium and made out for awhile."

Jasper's mouth fell open as he whipped his head around to look over at Bella who threw me a sexy wink while being enveloped in a big bear hug by her father. It amazed me how tiny she was in comparison to both her brother and the Chief and I couldn't help but wonder if she took more after her mother than the two of them. I could definitely see the family resemblance in all three of them, but I wondered if she had her mother's eyes, or if she got her beautiful complexion from her. There were so many things I still wanted to know about her and I seriously hoped to be able to discover them all myself sometime in the not too distant future.

"Dude, you are one slick motherfucker," Jasper said, lifting his hand up for a high five.

I shook my head and slapped his hand. "Don't get too excited, man. Denali fucking followed me and found us mid-kiss."

"Wait, what?!" Jasper's eyes were wide in shock as I explained what had happened in more detail. "Well, that would explain the look on her face when she stomped back in here. Wow. How the fuck do they know each other?"

"I have no idea, but I plan to find out when I talk to her tonight. The whole fucking thing was entirely too surreal and there wasn't enough time to get into it after Denali left."

"Speaking of time," Jasper said, looking down at his watch, "we better get back to class." I nodded in agreement, standing up and pushing my chair in.

As we headed out the door, right past Bella and her friends and family, I looked up at her out of the corner of my eye and saw her smiling at me. I smiled back and sighed audibly, groaning internally as I realized I had done it out loud. As soon as we were out the door, Jasper elbowed me. "Dude, did you actually just sigh?"

"Shut the fuck up, Whitlock," I said, flipping him off.

"Oh man, you are _so _fucked!"

_God willing._

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**BPOV**

Alice walked out of the manicure room, looking at her watch for what had to have been the millionth time in a matter of minutes. "No matter how many times you look at it, Al, it's not going to make time go faster," I told her as her eyes met mine in the reflection of the mirror in front of me and she stuck her tongue out at me. If I hadn't had a client in my chair, I was certain I would've gotten a hell of a lot worse.

It had been a crazy week since our lunch at the academy on Monday. After being caught by Tanya with my tongue down Edward's throat, my mind had been spinning. Not just because we got caught, but because I couldn't believe my motherfucking eyes when I turned around and saw _her_ standing there, glaring at us. When Emmett had mentioned her name, the possibility that it was the Tanya I had the unfortunate luck to know, years before, hadn't even crossed my mind.

Last I had heard from Jake, she was a waitress at fucking Hooters for Christ's sake, and never in a million years would I have ever guessed that she'd be a cop. Never. But I was wrong. Not only was she a cop, but she was a Recruit Training Officer at the academy, which meant she had reached a certain level of service that led her superiors in Scottsdale to think she would be a good fit for that job. _Or she just sucks a really good dick. And I'm inclined to believe it's the latter of the two knowing her the way I do. Whore._

Seeing her again had brought me back to when I had first started dating Jacob. They had gone to high school together and were the best of friends but when he and I started dating, she got really possessive of him and did everything she could to make my life miserable. Being the pig that he was, Jake loved the attention and provoked it on more than one occassion but eventually there was no getting around the fact that their friendship was going to come between us so he distanced himself.

Tanya was livid and made no secret of her hatred for me, so I had no doubt she was trying to figure out a way to fuck me over in regard to Edward without actually having to go to my brother herself. She knew if she did, Emmett would have her job but she wasn't one to let things go easily. Especially considering the fact that I, once again, had something she wanted...Edward.

Edward was in shock during our entire exchange that day, but even more so when I explained to him how I knew her later that night. Lately it seemed, all the negative shit in my life revolved around Jacob, and I really worried that Edward might start resenting his constant presence in my life. I had ended things with him and hadn't spoken to him since, but for some reason, in one way or another, he was a habitual thorn in my side and after the incident with Tanya, I was afraid it was going to get even worse.

"Alright, ladies," I heard Rosalie's voice ring out through the salon before I actually saw her. "I'm taking off. Enjoy yourselves tonight...I know I will!" _Fucking gross. _

Emmett had decided to forgo our weekly dinner - which we had actually only followed through with one time - to spend the night with Rosalie. And when he said "spend the night", he made sure to waggle his eyebrows in a suggestive manner that left me quite certain sleep wouldn't be on the agenda. And when Rosalie walked into work this morning showing a bit of thigh in a cute pair of high waisted black sailor shorts and a cream tiered silk chiffon blouse with nude peep toes, she was practically glowing, so I knew she was as anxious for the night as my brother was.

If it wasn't so disgusting, I'd almost find it cute how close they had become since our dinner last Friday. But because he was my brother and she was my friend, I tried _really_ hard not to think about what they were both excited about doing later on. _I repeat: Fucking gross._

Since our lunch on Monday, Alice had forgotten all about the lack of attention my brother was no longer bestowing on her whiney ass and had definitely moved on to greener pastures. She had been talking to Jasper non-stop, much to my brother's dismay, and already they were like two fucking peas in a pod. Edward had confirmed to me on more than one occasion that his new roommate was completely head over heels for her and if he wasn't talking _to _her, he was talking _about _her. I was glad to hear it because Alice was fucking infatuated with Jasper. She talked about him incessantly and I couldn't decide if she was doing it because she was falling hard for him or if she was trying to drive Emmett insane and get back at him for all of the swooning he did over Rosalie on a regular basis. I had to admit I was relieved, either way. Both of them had found someone outside of each other to pursue and their relationship had become very similar to the one Emmett and I had which meant there would be no swapping of bodily fluids betweeen the two of them. _Thank fucking God for that shit. The last thing any of us need is a baby "Almett" running around making up annoying nicknames for everyone it comes in contact with. _

As soon as Emmett bailed on our dinner plans about mid-week, Alice devised a plan with Jasper for a double date with Edward and me. As much as I really wanted to spend some alone time with Edward, I knew there would be a lot less pressure for all of us if we did a group thing - and I knew it was no use trying to decline the invitation. Alice was a pushy bitch and when she had her mind set on something, she usually got it. Jasper had figured that out already and told Edward as much when Edward tried to talk our way out of it. There really was no use and we all knew it so we decided to make the best of it and do something that was both necessary and fun...well fun for Alice and me and necessary for the guys.

Edward had casually mentioned on Thursday that he and Jasper still needed to buy and get fitted for their uniforms. It was typical for an academy class to start wearing the full police uniform about five weeks into training, provided there were no disciplinary issues holding them back. From what I could tell, other than a few small bumps in the road, Edward's class was right on track to progress to the next level and if he didn't get on the ball and get fitted for his uniform, he was going to be stuck without one. And that would _not _be good for _anyone_ in his class. There was an all for one mentality when it came to this type of stuff at the academy, so if one recruit fucked up and didn't have all the necessary pieces of the required uniform, _everyone_ would suffer the consequences. Knowing this, I suggested that the uniform store be our first order of business because there was _no way_ Alice would want to pass up seeing Police Recruit SexOnAStick in full uniform. Plus, I knew that meant I'd get to see Edward in _his_ uniform and being the selfish bitch I was, I couldn't deny myself that pleasure. And being the gentlemen that these two seemed to be, they offered to take us out to dinner afterwards for sacrificing our time to help them. _Yeah, the only sacrifice I'm going to be making is not letting my lady bits come in contact with your nightstick, Edward. And if that's not a sacrifice, I don't know what is!_

"Bye, Rose," I heard Angela say as I ran some gel through my client's hair and took his cape off. I lifted my gaze, waving in the mirror to her as she threw her black Chanel bag over her shoulder and headed out the front door to her BMW with a huge smile on her face.

It was quite obvious that my brother made her happy and although the thought of them together seriously grossed me out, there was no denying that their connection was very real and good for both of them. In all honesty, I knew Emmett was a good man and would do right by Rosalie, however the whole thing still made me nervous. At the same time, seeing her as happy as she was today - and had been for the last week, for that matter - was worth the awkwardness that might come if things didn't work out. And truth be told, I would never begrudge my brother an ounce of happiness, even though he was unknowingly trying to do that to me.

After finishing with my client and cleaning up, I went upstairs to change before Edward and Jasper arrived to pick us up. It was the first Friday in two years that I had left before closing and the fact that I was willing to do so spoke volumes to me. There were so many times that Jake had whined to me about my career coming between us, that he felt he had to compete with it for my time like it was another entity. And yet, I never left early for him...I wasn't willing in any way to put forth the effort to make things better between us because nothing was more important to me than my career.

Until Edward...

While there was no way I willing to give it up completely, like my mother had, I was beginning to see that there were other things in life that might just be more important...that might just be worth letting go a little for. And while it was overwhelming to feel so much about another human being so quickly, it was also reassuring that I did, in fact, have room in my heart for an actual love life. I wasn't broken afterall. _Oh Jesus Christ, I'm totally going soft. What have these people done to me?_

Alice came around the corner from the kitchen, having already changed out of her black bermuda shorts and navy blue tiered camisol, swinging her suede navy mary jane's on her index finger and nearly bumped into me as she whistled absentmindedly. "Oh shit, sorry Bells," she said with a chuckle. In an attempt to stop herself from mowing me over, she threw up her right arm and the black shrug she had draped over it fell to the floor. She turned away from me and bent over to pick it up, her denim clad ass nearly knocking me over. "How does my ass look in these jeans?" she asked, looking up at me over her shoulder before standing back up.

I couldn't help but laugh as I reassured her that her ass looked phenomenal, as always. "Alice, you know you're hot. Do you really need me to fucking tell you every five minutes? People are going to start questioning our relationship if you don't knock your shit off."

I laughed and shook my head at her as she feigned shock but continued to fish for compliments in true Alice style. "Do you like my outfit? What about my shoes?"

I took a good look at her in the black knit top that draped across her small frame with a small bow on the shoulder, perfectly fitting blue jeans and cheetah print peep toes and nodded before responding, "Love the shirt, love the pants, adore the shoes. Can I go change now?"

She looked at me with a smirk, putting an index finger on her mouth as if contemplating her answer. "You may," she said, finally moving out of my way so I could walk by her and make my way to the bedroom down the hall.

Slipping my cobalt blue suede Louboutins off as soon as my feet hit the plush carpeting in the room, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been standing on my feet all day without much of a break, even during lunch and I was more than ready to slip into something a little more comfortable. I padded past the Queen sized bed and into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door and unzipping the garment bag that was hanging on the back of it. I swiftly discarded my charcoal slacks and cobalt blue jersey cowl neck tunic and pulled on my faded boot cut stretch jeans and pink camisole that had an intricately woven design on the chest, giving it a slightly dressier appearance. After hanging up my work clothes and zipping them inside the garment bag, I fluffed my wavy hair a little before walking out. I took the bag over to the closet and hung it up, placing the heels I'd worn all day on the floor beneath it and took out the black suede platform peep toes I had brought with me earlier in the day. I stepped into my shoes and slid the closet door shut before leaving the room and heading back down to retrieve my purse so I could touch up my make up.

As I applied the last swipe of my lip gloss, I heard the door open and looked up in the mirror to see Edward walk in wearing a pair of faded dark denim jeans with a short sleeved black button down shirt that hugged his chest in all the right places and showed off his beautifully tanned arms. His appearance was absolutely breathtaking, as usual, but when I looked down and noticed the black Doc Martens on his feet, my knees nearly gave out on me. _Oh my fucking __L__ord up in heaven, why is this man trying to kill me?_

"Hey, beautiful," he said, walking over to me and hugging me from behind as I put my lip gloss back in my purse and tried to find the ability to form a sentence again. He gently brushed my hair back off my shoulder so he could lean in and kiss my cheek, keeping eye contact with me in the mirror as he whispered in my ear. "You look amazing and you smell delicious." His green eyes were fierce as they stared back at me and I couldn't help but blush from the heat I immediately felt between my legs as soon as his sweet breath danced across my skin. Being around Edward was all consuming for me and I felt like I could get lost in his presence and do something extremely inappropriate in the middle of the salon if I didn't put some distance between us. And considering the fact that both Bree and Laurent were still working, I figured that wasn't the best idea.

I snapped out of my Edward induced coma, forcing myself to look away from his eyes as I put my lip gloss back in my purse. He dropped his arms from around my waist and put them in his pockets, shrugging innocently when I turned around to face him with narrowed eyes and a huge grin. He knew what he was doing and he was a smooth motherfucker but I knew I couldn't let him know he had the upper hand with me...it was time to take back some control before he had me reduced to a mumbling puddle of goo at his feet.

With both hands, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, looking around to see if anyone was paying attention to us before proceeding. When I realized Bree had taken her client to the shampoo area, I knew I was safe because Laurent was so self involved that he never paid attention to anyone around him. Edward looked at me with a smirk, waiting to see what I was up to.

I pulled him closer to me so that our cheeks were touching and felt him inhale deeply as I whispered in his ear, "You better watch it, Recruit. If you don't behave yourself, I'm going to have to punish you." I kissed him quickly below his ear and pulled back to look at him and wink before letting go of his collar and walking away. I made it all the way to the reception desk before I stopped and looked over my shoulder at him. He had turned around but not moved an inch and he made no secret of the fact that his eyes were trained on my ass. _Like putty in my hands._

I cleared my throat and he looked up at me, taking his right hand out of his pocket and running it through his hair before raising his eyebrows and shooting me a radiant smile. "You know, something tells me I'd enjoy that," he said as he walked up behind me and put his arm around my waist, "a lot."

We said goodbye to Angela and made our way out to Jasper's Escalade where Alice was already sitting in the front seat chatting with him animatedly. I was seriously impressed at how easily Alice jumped head first into a relationship and never questioned herself. She always trusted her instincts and tried so hard to convince me that I could do the same but that was the one thing I always doubted her on. She had constantly tried to impress it upon me when I was with Jake that if I had listened to the little voice in my head that was screaming at me to run in the other direction when I first met him, I probably never would have started a relationship with him in the first place. When I disagreed with her and told her I didn't have a little voice, she stated very firmly and without hesitation that _everyone _has a little voice...it's just that some are a lot louder than others. I had no idea what she meant until I met Edward and every part of my being, including my inner voice started shouting at me to follow my instincts for a change. _What the fuck, inner voice? You fucking whisper when I'm drooling over an asshole that's completely_ _wrong for me but as soon as the possibility of seeing a hot guy in a uniform arises, you're all over that shit. What a shock, even my inner voice likes to fuck with me... _

Edward opened my door allowing me to climb into the SUV behind Alice before walking around and getting in behind Jasper. Like magnets, our bodies seemed to automatically find each other as we both slid towards the middle and I leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around me. "Good to see you again, Bella," Jasper said, turning to greet me with a genuine smile on his face. He was one of those kinds of guys that you couldn't help but like as soon as you met him, making it really easy for me to understand why both Edward and Alice were immediately drawn to him. As my father would say, he was "good people".

"You, too, Jasper...or should I say Police Recruit SexOnAStick?" Alice's eyes bugged out of her head as she snapped her head around in my direction and glared at me while I heard Edward and Jasper trying to hold back a chuckle. _Ha!_ _Turn about is fair play, bitch...I don't get mad, I get even. _

Jasper pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Universal Police Supply with a grin on his face that spanned from ear to ear. Alice could be as pissed as she wanted at me but something told me she would reap the benefits of that little comment at a later date. He may be a true southern gentlman, but no normal guy that was interested in a woman as gorgeous as Alice could find fault in the fact that she found him sexually attractive from the moment they met. And from the look on his face, it was completely obvious Jasper was _very_ much a normal guy.

The ride to the police supply was short and relatively quiet but by the time we got the the supply store, Alice had bounced back and completely regained her composure. I was relatively certain that she had remembered the feast that our eyes were about to behold and could no longer focus on how mad she was at me for embarrassing her in front of Jasper - but I knew she'd come back with a vengeance, eventually. That's just the way Alice and I were and, honestly, it was one of the reasons I loved her so fucking much. She always kept me on my toes.

I slid across the black leather seat and followed Edward out his door, not wanting to sit and wait for him to come open my door, as I knew he'd insist on doing. He gave me his adorable smirk and threaded his fingers into mine, pulling me close for a quick peck before following behind Alice and Jasper, who were also walking hand and hand into the store. Once inside, I started pulling things for both of them, asking their sizes when I got to the pants and shirts. The store was empty other than us and a salesgirl, although I knew one of the two seamstresses was in the back working on alterations until someone needed to be fitted. _Please__,__ God, if you are listening to me, let it be Siobhan working today. I don't think I can hold Alice back while Lauren Mallory suggestively adjusts Jasper's __inseam__ in her disgustingly __flirtatious__ manner. Who am I kidding, if Lauren Mallory even __thinks_ _about touching _Edward's_ junk, it's very possible she'll walk away unable to reproduce._

I held the uniforms for Jasper to try on out to Alice. I had pulled the size he told me, as well as one up and one down because I knew it was very rare that they ever fit the way they should. When she didn't seem to notice, I nudged her in the ribs with my elbow.

"Ouch!" she whined, turning her head in my direction and narrowing her eyes at me. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Gee, I don't know, Alice," I responded with sarcasm that could not be ignored, "do you think you could stop staring at Jasper and make yourself useful here?If you want to see his ass in one of these, you might actually have to _give _them to him."

"I'm sorry, Bells...I just can _not _stop looking at him. Is it weird that his cowboy boots make me want to jump him?" She giggled, realizing what she had just said. Alice had always had a deep hatred for what she referred to as "shit kickers" but I had to admit that on Jasper, paired with his white button down and black jeans, his black boots were pretty damn sexy. "Oh my God, there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear come out of my own mouth!"

"Trust me, Al, I find myself doing and saying a lot of things lately that I never thought I would, thanks to Edward. You are _not_ the only one."

Realizing Alice was going to be of no help to me, I called the guys over from where they were picking out their duty boots and handed them each their separate piles of clothing. I stood with Alice in great anticipation of the moment the doors to their dressing rooms opened and they came out wearing the standard Phoenix police uniform. I could feel the excitement radiating off of her as we waited and when we heard the click of a lock she nearly jumped out of her skin, expecting to see Jasper walk out.

But when the door to Edward's changing room opened, my heart started to flutter and my mouth fell open. It was a little loose, but it didn't matter. Edward in a police uniform had to have been the most glorious fucking thing I had ever seen and if my panties weren't wet from earlier, they definitely were now. He saw me staring at him and I would swear on my life that I heard my lady bits cry out in frustration when he flashed me his signature smirk like the hot, cocky bastard he was. _What the fuck? Up until recently I couldn't hear the inner voice in my head, now I'm hearing the one in my crotch? What can I say? Edward Cullen in a police uniform speaks to me..._all_ of me. _

"Wow," I heard him say as I tried to re-gain my composure, "if your reaction is this good now, I can't wait to see what it's like after I have it taken in."

I felt the telltale heat creep over my face and I groaned in frustration. Edward strutted over to me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to him. I felt the air leave my lungs and opened my mouth to say something but I had no words - the sight of him mixed with his close proximity had left me without the ability to speak. I was officially swooning over a man, there was no way I could deny that fact any longer.

He held on to me, chuckling in amusement as I felt my knees start to wobble. "Did I just hear you moan, Bella? I mean, if it's too much for you to see me in this, I'll gladly take it off." _Oh my God, I think I just came. _

I looked over Edward's shoulder and saw Alice giving Jasper the once over. There was no way she didn't squeal when she saw him in it and I had no idea how I had missed it. I disengaged from Edward so I could take a deep breath and clear my head. I had come here to help both of them and was failing miserably thanks to my overactive hormones. _Pull your head out of your ass and maintain some amount of dignity, Bella. Seriously._

Snapping out of it, I looked down at my watch to check the time and realized we only had a half hour until the shop closed, so I motioned to the salesgirl and asked, "Can we get Siobhan out here to get them both measured for alterations and patches?" She nodded in response and disappeared in the back. While we waited, I suggested that Edward and Jasper both put on the boots they were going to buy so she could get a good measurement on their height for the hem.

As soon as the guys were out of sight, Alice grabbed me by the tops of my arms and shook me in excitement. "Holy _fuck__,_ Bella, I think this was the best idea you have _ever _had in the entire time I have known you and if I wasn't so crazy for that man in there," she motioned to the dressing room Jasper was in before continuing, "I swear on my favorite Versace purse that I'd declare my undying love for you and ask Charlie for your hand in marriage!"

I laughed at her, relieved that I wasn't the only one whose hold on reality had been so affected by the sight of a good looking man in a uniform. "Um, yeah...remember that conversation we had earlier? I love you, Alice - but not _that_ way. Please don't cry," I teased her. Alice snickered and slapped my arm as the door to the back room swung open and Lauren Mallory walked out with her measuring tape and fabric marker. _Shit._

Lauren Mallory was Emmett's age, very beautiful and a serious flirt. She was relatively harmless and I knew it, but that didn't stop the raging jealousy I felt when I thought about another woman touching Edward from flaring up irrationally. I knew I had to keep myself in check, though. Both my father and my brother used this store on occassion which was why I had taken Edward and Jasper here in the first place, but I wasn't about to cause a scene and risk the chance that one of them would hear about us being there.

Tucking her curly blonde hair behind her ears as she approached us, Lauren gave me a friendly wave, "Hey, Bella! Who am I fitting today, Charlie or Emmett?"

Before I could answer, Jasper walked back out of his dressing room, this time wearing his boots, and Lauren smiled, looking him up and down more than once in appreciation. I felt Alice stiffen next to me and knew then and there that if she looked at Edward like that when she saw him, I was going to have to try really hard to convince myself not to gouge her eyes out. Jasper extended a hand to her and introduced himself as Alice watched very intently. Okay, so she was glaring. She was glaring and I was praying that Lauren had the good sense to behave herself as she started to measure Jasper.

By the time she got to Jasper's pants, I feared for her safety. She was running her hands down the back of them, smoothing them down to make sure they were fitting him properly and in effect, copping a feel of his ass each time in true Lauren Mallory form. Alice was never one to mince words and when she made the third pass down his backside I cringed when Alice said, "Oh, hell no!" and lunged towards Lauren.

Edward, who had joined us shortly after Lauren had started with Jasper, reached out and grabbed Alice by the waistband of her jeans before she could do any damage. Once Lauren realized Edward had Alice under control, she gave her a dirty look and quickly finished what she was doing before dismissing Jasper to change out of his uniform and leave it for alterations. Jasper put his hand on the small of Alice's back rubbing slow circles as he led her away with him and by the time he reached the dressing room he somehow had her calmed down. He may not have known her very long, but he certainly had a way of getting Alice to relax and I made a mental note to find out how the fuck he did it.

Alice's outburst had affected Lauren enough to keep her in check when she worked with Edward and his fitting went off without a hitch. She made small talk with me while waiting for him to return after changing and then disappeared into the back with a quick wave once she had both his and Jasper's uniforms in her possession. The salesgirl rang up their purchases quickly as closing time approached, letting them both know when Lauren would be done with their alterations and then locking the door behind us.

Edward wrapped his free arm around my waist as we walked towards the Escalade in front of Jasper and Alice and once again, I felt myself relaxing into him as my stomach growled loud enough for Alice to hear it and snicker like the bitch that she was. He patted my arm, pulling me closer as he looked down at me with a huge grin on his face. "I think we better get you some food, you're going to need your strength for later," he said with a wink.

I raised my eyebrows at his insinuation. "Oh you think so, huh?"

"Yeah, I _know _so," he responded smugly, in full on Police Recruit FuckMeEyes mode. _God help me. I think he might be right..._


	7. Making Some Headway

**A/N: First and foremost, I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of you for your love and dedication to my little fic. I read each and every review and I can not even begin to tell you how much they mean to me. I also want to say "Hi!" to all my new readers - if someone sent you here to read my story, I'd love it if you left me a little review and let me know how you found me. **

**I also want to thank nicnicd for her awesome pre-reading, as well as ilsuocantante for being ahfuckingmazing and beta'ing this chapter for me in a pinch while britpacksuccubus was out of commission :) You both rock my world. Thank you!**

**An abundance of thanks also goes to kharizzmatic for being an amazing source of support to me, as well as for her fuckawesome rec in her latest update of Emancipation Proclamation. If you're not reading it...what the heck is wrong with you? LOL It's one of the best fucking fics out there and is NOT to be missed. **

**Last but not least, please don't forget to visit http:// thefandomgivesback . proboards . com / index . cgi **** and bid on one of the amazing authors giving their time for a great cause. **

**Stephenie Meyer's owns everything Twilight - but we all know Copward and Snarkella are mine to do with as I please. ;)**

* * *

**EPOV **

"Dude, are you fucking ready yet?" Jasper called out to me from the great room where I was sure he was fucking around on the pool table. "I swear to God you're worse than a fucking girl with that hair."

I heard the click of the stick on the cue ball and smirked at myself in the mirror, the sound confirming I was right. "Fuck you, asshole," I yelled back to him as I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to tame my perpetual bed head and only succeeding in fucking it up even more. "My girl is a hair stylist _and _she cut my hair, I have to do her proud."

"I have two words for you: Pussy. Whipped."

I gave up on my hair and took a second to reassess my overall appearance in the mirror. Running outside in the sun for the past two weeks had given me a tan like I'd never had before in my life, and the black short sleeved button down shirt I put on after my shower showcased it better than I had expected. It still fucked with my head that it was almost November and still warm enough to wear shorts during the day, but as much as I bitched about it, I didn't miss the wet, cold weather of Forks. Not at all.

Walking out of my bathroom, I grabbed my black Doc Marten boots and sat on the edge of my King sized bed to slip them on and lace them up. I stood back up and took a quick scan of the room to make sure I hadn't missed anything when I cleaned up earlier, just in case the night ended the way I hoped and I'd have company when I came home. _God help me, let tonight end the way I hope it will. If I keep jerking off as much as I have been I may lose the ability to shoot my gun when the time comes. Heh. Shoot my gun. Pun intended. _

"Alright, Douchebag," I called out to Jasper as I walked out of my bedroom into the living room and headed toward the garage, "Let's go. You're the one whining about leaving but _I'm _the one that's pussy whipped. Whatever."

Jasper chuckled as he hung up his pool cue. I heard his boots on my hard wood floor as he rushed to catch up with me and felt smug in the satisfaction of knowing I was right. I couldn't deny that I wanted to see Bella, but he was jumping out of his skin in anticipation of spending time with the eyefucker and we both knew it. I had no idea what she did to him, but in only a week she had him wrapped around her little finger and he was enjoying every minute of it.

As happy as I was for him, I couldn't help but be a little jealous at the same time. He didn't have to fight to hide how he felt. He could swoon all over Alice and no one fucking gave a shit. Sarge didn't even bat a fucking eyelash...but it wasn't that way for Bella and me. As hard as it was to swallow that fact before Alice and Jasper met, it was even more difficult now. I understood _why _we were doing it - we were doing it for me. But sometimes, it just didn't feel that way.

After speaking with Bella the night before, I knew she was taking Alice to work in her Mercedes so Jasper and I devised a little plan for some alone time after dinner. Jasper would drive his Escalade since it was the most spacious of all of our vehicles and then at the end of the evening, he would take Alice to her place and I'd ask Bella to bring me to mine. There was no way I could go back to Bella's house and run the risk of her brother coming home, so I made it my mission that night to get her to mine.

When we got to the salon Alice appeared by my door before I could even open it, yanking it open anxiously, trying to hurry me out. "Settle down there, Eyefucker," I said with a chuckle. She slapped me lightly on the arm and flipped me off as I jumped out of the Escalade so she could climb in. Bella told me how much she hated that I called her that, especially since she swore to God that I was the one doing the eyefucking the day we met. And truth be told, I _was _doing some eyefucking that day, but it _certainly _wasn't directed at Alice. She, on the other hand had looked at me like a piece of meat and I would never back down in that argument with her - even if neither of us could prove otherwise and all I accomplished by doing so was annoying the shit out of her...

Which was pretty much the point.

"Shut the fuck up and go get your woman, FuckMeEyes," she said, the last part through gritted teeth, patting me on the ass to push me in the direction of the salon. "She's in there getting all pretty for you."

I couldn't help but laugh at how forward Alice always was. She was the complete opposite of my roommate which was probably why they had hit if off so quickly. While Jasper was a funny fucker and could make me laugh with his dry sense of humor, he was always the consummate Southern gentleman around the ladies, as well as when we were in the presence of our superiors. Alice, on the other hand, was a "what you see is what you get" kind of girl. She didn't hide her audaciousness, she embraced it - and she made it really difficult not to like her. Jasper and Alice were a well-balanced pair; where one lacked, the other more than made up for it, but I still never would have believed they'd be interested in each other if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes.

I pulled open the door to the salon and strode in, and without fail, my eyes zeroed right in on Bella's ass. I couldn't explain it, but it was like her ass had some kind of magnetic pull because whenever I was in her presence, it was always the first place my eyes fell. _You're a fucking perv, Cullen. There's no doubt about it._

"Hey Beautiful," I said as I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind. I made eye contact with her in the mirror as I brushed her hair out of the way so I could kiss her on the cheek. "You look amazing and you smell delicious," I whispered in her ear, watching a beautiful blush permeate her cheeks. Her eyes deepened with lust and my cock sprung to attention as I tried to remind myself that I was in the middle of her fucking place of business and had to be mindful of the other people in our presence.

She must have been thinking along the same lines because as soon as I dropped my hands from her waist and put them in my pockets, Bella spun around with narrowed eyes and a mischievous grin on her face and grabbed my collar with both hands. She hesitated as she surveyed the salon to see if anyone was watching before yanking me to her so we were cheek to cheek. I inhaled deeply as my dick cried out for some kind of friction and I struggled to send it telepathic signals to shut the fuck up and calm down. _Telepathic signals to your dick? Really? The next thing you know, you're going to be having conversations with it, asshole. Oh Jesus, please don't start talking to me. And now I'm actually talking to my cock...I need help._

Satisfied with the reaction she was getting out of me, Bella took it a step further. "You better watch it, Recruit. If you don't behave yourself, I'm going to have to punish you," she whispered in my ear before giving me a quick kiss below it. My head was swimming from her innuendo as she pulled away from me and winked before letting go of my collar and walking away.

Her playfulness was such a fucking turn on that I couldn't move from the spot I was standing in, except to turn around to watch the gentle sway of her ass as she walked away from me. I heard her clear her throat and lifted my gaze to see her standing at the reception desk, glancing over her shoulder at me. I took a hand out of my pocket and ran my fingers through my hair, unable to stop the goofy grin from creeping over my face at my own idiocy. _If sexiness can kill brain cells, I'm seriously fucked and I haven't even gotten in her pants yet._

As I stood in silence, I silently prayed that Cher would appear out of nowhere to slap me across the face and tell me to snap out of it like she did to Nicholas Cage in Moonstruck. And I couldn't figure out which part was more disturbing - that I, as a straight man, was praying for Cher's presence, or the fact that without even touching my dick, Bella made me lose all my ability to function as a rational human being. Luckily, even in Cher's absence I was somehow able to pull myself together and succeed in forming some semblance of a coherent thought so I didn't look any more idiotic than I already did.

"You know, something tells me I'd enjoy that," I said as I joined her in the reception area and slid an arm around her waist, "a lot." It could have been my imagination, but I was pretty sure I felt Bella shiver. _That's right, Bella...two can play at this game. If I didn't know better, I'd think my dick just smirked._

* * *

"Oh come on, can you blame me? Really?" Alice looked indignant as she took a sip of her wine and relived the events of our trip to the uniform store.

Bella had done everything she could to ensure that neither her brother nor her father would hear of our date. From making sure her brother was otherwise occupied, to choosing the store they were the least likely to frequent due to it's location and hours. Even though the women at the store knew of her family, it was one of many uniform stores in the area and she knew there would be no reason for anyone to find it strange that the daughter of one of the local police chiefs would be dating a recruit.

Everything was going smoothly until the overly flirtatious seamstress got a little too handsy with Jasper and the eyefucker lunged at her rather unexpectedly. I reached out and grabbed the waistband of her jeans, probably saving that poor girl's life as Alice was a scrappy bitch and I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her jealous rage. _Thank God all that jerking off hasn't affected my reflexes as much as I have been afraid it would. You're welcome naughty seamstress..._

We knew not to discuss what had happened too soon after the incident because Alice was pretty riled up and none of us really wanted her wrath upon us. But since Jasper seemed to have a good handle on calming her down, by the time we got to Marcello's, the small Italian restaurant the girls had chosen, Bella decided there was no time like the present to give her friend a bit of a hard time for the scene she had caused.

"Yes, Alice, I _can _blame you for that shit because you _know_ that Edward and I have to be super careful not to bring unnecessary attention our way. Especially in the middle of a fucking police supply, for Christ's sake. What the hell were you thinking?" Bella asked animatedly as Jasper and I watched closely, anticipating the possible beatdown that might occur between our women at any given moment.

As feisty as they both were, there was no telling what an argument between the two of them could bring. I could tell by the look on Jasper's face that he was doing his best to keep Alice's bitchiness to a minimum, even as I rubbed soothing circles on Bella's knee under the table. We were in a nice restaurant and it happened to be very small and cozy - people were going to start looking if we didn't get them to calm down. And while I knew they would never actually hurt each other, I also knew from what Bella had told me in the past that neither one of them was good at conceding to the other...especially when they both felt very strongly that they were in the right.

"Listen, Bella, if she was touching FuckMeEyes over here," she pointed at me as if we had no idea who she was referring to, "the way she was touching--"

"SexOnAStick," Bella interjected with a shit eating grin on her face.

"_Jasper," _Alice continued, narrowing her eyes in irritation, "you know damn well that whore wouldn't have walked away. There's no way you can actually be pissed that I did _exactly _what you would have done if the situation had been reversed."

I thought back to Bella's interaction with my RTO and had no doubt in my mind that Alice was right. Bella wasn't one to back down. She was gorgeous and feisty and fucking hot. And the fact that she was already possessive enough over me that she'd actually have taken a bitch down for hitting on me really made me want to order our food to go and take her back to my place so we could be alone. Very alone. _Why the fuck does the image of Bella in a jealous rage turn me on so much? Because, as we discussed earlier, Cullen, you are a perv. _

"Why don't we all take a deep breath and figure out what we're going to have for dinner before the waitress comes back?" I wondered if Jasper realized he was risking life and limb by interrupting their little argument, as silly as it was.

I couldn't believe my eyes when Alice relented, smiling at Jasper and picking up her menu without another word. Bella's reaction was similar to mine as she looked at Jasper in awe, holding up her menu in front of her and leaning in to whisper to me.

"What the fuck kind of voodoo magic does that roommate of yours have?" I ducked a little so I was shielded by her menu and shrugged my shoulders at her, snickering under my breath in hopes that Alice didn't hear me. I did _not _want to be on the little spitfire's bad side, that I knew for sure.

"Seriously, Edward...he has her fucking dickmatized. I have _never_ seen Alice back off like that. _Ever." _

I cocked an eyebrow at her, "Dickmatized, huh? I think I like the sound of that."

She shook her head and groaned at my blatant insinuation. "Look at your menu and get your mind out of the gutter, Recruit, or _your mind_ is going to be the only part of you that will be seeing any action anytime in the near future. _That _I can promise you." _And in an instant, my dick goes from a possible smirk to the verge of tears._ _We can _not_ have that shit. Do as she says, asshole, or it's going to be a cold fucking night._

Our waitress came by to take our order and I prayed to all that was holy that she wouldn't have the audacity or stupidity to flirt with either Jasper or me in front of our dates. More often than not when he and I went places together one or both of us ended up being slipped a phone number, which we both quickly discarded when out of view. Whether it was a blatant gesture or under the cuff, it was really nothing new to either one of us. But especially after the scene that took place earlier, I didn't think Alice - or Bella for that matter - would be very appreciative of that shit. And no matter how fast my reflexes still seemed to be, I had no desire to intercept flying silverware in the middle of a nice restaurant. _Or anywhere for that matter...something tells me Alice and Bella together could do some serious fucking damage and I like my balls _way _too much to piss either one of them off._

"I'll have the Linguine with Clam Sauce - white," I heard Bella say, before the waitress turned her attention my way.

"And what can I get for you, Handsome?" _Oh my fuck, she did _not _just say that shit._

Bella cut her eyes to the waitress, glaring at her with a snide little smile on her face as she leaned over and kissed my cheek, staking her claim._ Why the fuck was that little kiss so fucking epically hot that my dick just twitched? _

Because Bella just let everyone know, me included, that I was _hers. _

"I'll have the Rigatoni Vodka," I said with a huge shit eating grin on my face, putting my hand on Bella's thigh and squeezing gently while eyeing the silverware in front of her. I breathed a sigh of relief when the waitress moved on to Alice and Jasper without incident. _Lady, you have _no _idea how lucky you are. I just virtually saved your life. You're welcome._

* * *

**BPOV**

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I knew I wanted some alone time with Edward...I had craved that from day fucking one. But now that I was actually going to get what I so badly desired, I was seriously anxious in his presence and that just was _not _going to do.

Jasper had driven us back to the salon, leaving Edward and I to go back to their place while he took Alice to ours. Alice and I both had to get up early for work in the morning so, although we wouldn't have a ton of one on one time, it was still a big deal. And I didn't want to fuck it up. So, instead, I drove myself crazy with nerves because no one was as good at that as I was.

I struggled to keep my composure as I followed Edward's directions on the way to his house. I could hear the thrum of my heartbeat in my ears and hoped to _God _it wasn't as loud to him as it was to me.

The scent of him permeated the air, filling the small space between us - I had no idea what cologne he wore, but it was clean and manly and whenever I smelled it, all I could think about was sex. My desire for him was overwhelming and his hand on my thigh was _not _helping matters. Or maybe it was. _I guess it's all in how you look at it, Bella. Oh shit, am I going to look at it? I _want _to look at it. Oh my God, I'm going to look at it, aren't I?_

"This is me here on the right," Edward said quietly, pointing at a beautiful custom built home that I knew for a fact he couldn't afford on his recruit paycheck. I had to fight to keep my mouth from gaping open - not because it was obvious Edward had money, but because up until this moment, I had no idea that was the case. Apparently there was a lot more to him than met the eye...even more so than I already suspected.

I pulled into the driveway and put the car in park, turning the key to shut off the engine and waiting patiently as he walked around to the driver's side and opened my door for me. If there was one thing I had learned this evening it was that Edward was very chivalrous and he got agitated if I didn't let him do the whole door thing for me. I couldn't remember the last time anyone had made such a gesture for me, so I was more than willing to play along and pacify him.

As I stepped out of the car Edward shut my door for me and wrapped his arm around my waist, leading me to the garage where he punched some numbers into a keypad and it began to open. He gently pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me and bending his head so he could place a feather light kiss on my bare shoulder. He moved his kisses across my shoulder and up my neck and I shivered from the warmth of his lips.

"Are you cold?" he asked in a husky voice as he ran his tongue along the shell of my ear, tenderly tugging on the lobe with his lips before pulling away to look at me with a self-satisfied smirk on his handsome face. _Police Recruit FuckMeEyes has left the vicinity and has, once again, been replaced with Police Recruit FuckMePlease. And there is no denying he is one smooth motherfucker._

I shook my head in response; we both knew I wasn't shivering because I was cold. Edward chuckled, taking my hand and pulling me into the garage, past his Volvo and into his house. Edward bent down to unlace his boots, slipping them off and picking them up in one hand as he pulled me further into his spacious house with the other.

"I'm going to put these in my room," he said, dropping my hand and motioning toward a black leather couch in front of me. "Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

He bent down and gave me a quick kiss before walking across the room to a small hallway that curved to left and led to what I assumed was his bedroom, disappearing from my view completely. I looked around me and was floored at how beautiful Edward's home was. It was spacious and elegant with hardwood floors throughout yet still very masculine at the same time. He had an enormous kitchen complete with dark wood cabinets and marble countertops which could rival my mother's and it made me wonder if cooking was one more thing I could add to the long list of Edward's talents.

I slipped off my heels and sunk into the comfortable leather couch, folding my legs underneath my body while I waited for Edward to return. I had to admit that although I felt anxious that this was actually the first time Edward and I were going to have more than a few moments together...alone...I was actually quite relaxed and content, which was something I rarely fucking felt in any aspect of my life outside of my family and my career.

Edward was changing me...for the better.

A few minutes later, I heard Edward's bare feet slapping on the hardwood floor behind me and I smiled as my heart started pounding once again. It amazed me that without doing anything of consequence he had the ability to make my heart race at any given moment.

He came around the front of the couch, offering me his hand and helping me to my feet before pulling me to him for a lingering kiss. "This," he said, pulling away from me and holding up a dark blue and grey flannel shirt, "is for you. I figured we'd go out on the back patio and sit by the fireplace and I don't want you to be cold."

"Such a gentleman," I teased, rolling my eyes and nudging him with my shoulder. I was pretty certain I wouldn't need it as I was under the impression _he _planned on keeping me warm, but it was still a nice gesture and I appreciated the fact that Edward never made assumptions when it came to what I may or may not be comfortable with.

He wrapped it around me and stepped back to look at me with a huge smile on his face. "What?" I asked, feeling the familiar blush creep across my face from the way his eyes rolled over me.

"Nothing," he responded, running his hand through his unruly hair. "You just look really good in my clothes, that's all." He flashed me his panty dropping smirk before sauntering into the kitchen and taking a bottle of white wine out of the fridge. He walked over to the island and placed the bottle on the counter, walking over to another set of cabinets to pull out some wine glasses.

I looked at him in his jeans and bare feet and, while I thought the Docs were hot, something about seeing Edward without socks and shoes on his feet made the heat between my legs flare up once again_. Jesus Christ, Bella, now you have a fucking foot fetish? You'd think the guy just flashed you his monstrous cock the way you're getting all hot and bothered. Mmm...monstrous cock...wait, what?_

"It's amazing to me that it's still so fucking hot during the day and then cools off so much at night. I keep waiting for this heat to let up," he said, walking back to the island and placing the wine glasses on the counter next to the wine bottle.

I leaned on the side of the counter and watched him as he poured us each a glass of wine, and held one out for me to take. "Thanks," I said quietly, taking a sip. "I'm surprised you're complaining about the heat, having come from somewhere so cold and dreary. Most people move here and rave about the weather...especially in the fall. Just wait until summer rolls around. If you think this is bad, you are going to be hating life come March."

"March?" he asked practically choking as he swallowed back his wine. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Where do you think you are, Edward? This is Phoenix. It's as close as you can get to Hell without actually being there."

"Fuck me," he said, blushing as the words came out of his mouth. _Be careful what you wish for, Edward..._

"I'm not even gonna touch that one," I said, embarrassing myself with the unintentional innuendo my mouth never fucking failed to spew at the least opportune times.

Edward shook his head and chuckled, putting the bottle back in the refrigerator before taking my hand and leading me out the sliding glass doors to his backyard. Immediately, I was in awe. The patio was made of flagstone and immense. To the left was a built-in jacuzzi constructed out of the same stone that was beneath our bare feet. To the right of us was a large seating area with a table and a couch, as well as a few comfy chairs. It was a perfect place for entertaining or stretching out with a good book on a cool fall evening like tonight.

We walked to the two lounge chairs that were sitting in front of a beautiful stone fireplace straight ahead of us. Edward placed our glasses on the table between them before tending to the task of lighting a fire. I stood and took in the view, scanning the pool and the yard beyond it. The landscaping and the cushioned lounge chairs that lined the pool had the feel of an expensive resort and I was amazed at how breathtaking it all was.

Once the fire was burning steadily, Edward turned around to walk to one of the chairs and I couldn't help but gasp at how striking his strong features were when illuminated by the firelight. There was no denying he was handsome. Handsome really didn't even begin to describe his looks, truth be told. But, the brilliant glow of the flames behind him emphasized his amazing features - the strong lines of his jaw, his flawless skin, the spray of copper highlights that ran through his hair, the well defined planes of his broad chest. Even the emerald hue of his eyes seemed brighter and more alive than ever before. _I am officially in awe of this man and right about now I can feel my ovaries nodding in agreement._

Edward sat in one of the lounge chairs, patting the cushion next to him and motioning for me to sit next to him. I tentatively sat down and felt his arms surround me, pulling me toward him as I nestled into the warmth of his body. I lay on my side, resting my head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat as we watched the fire burn in utter silence.

There was something so comforting about being in Edward's arms, breathing in his scent and listening to the steady beat of his heart. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was right where I belonged and I couldn't think of anything other than just being with him. _This _was right. _This _was where I was supposed to be.

I had tried so hard to find this feeling with Jake. He had constantly bitched at me and blamed me for being cold or frigid, continuously calling me a workaholic and solely blaming me for the demise of our relationship. While I'd always known it wasn't entirely my fault, in that moment, lying in Edward's arms, I was never more certain of anything in my life. Jake and I never would have made it, no matter how much effort either one of us had put toward saving the relationship. It wasn't meant to be.

This was.

"Your house is beautiful," I said, breaking the silence. "It's not what I expected."

I heard Edward's chuckle deep in his chest as I pushed myself up so I could see the enjoyment on his face with my own eyes.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him and trying my damnedest not to giggle with him. "You sure do find me rather amusing, don't you?"

"Oh stop being a brat," he said, rolling his eyes at me playfully. "I just wonder what your creative mind conjured up when imagining where I lived, that's all."

"I am _not _a brat," I muttered, annoyed. "And, I'll have you know that my 'creative' mind, as you so eloquently put it, didn't come up with anything. It's just that this place is amazing. And having been the daughter of a cop for my entire life, I know for a fact that a recruit could _not_ afford something like this on his paycheck alone."

"You sure as hell _are_ a cop's daughter, aren't you, Bella? Quite the little detective," he said, tapping his temple before continuing sarcastically, "always thinking."

"Stop teasing me, Edward. I'm starting to get annoyed." I pushed myself up until I was in a fully seated position and reached over to my wine glass, taking a long drink.

"Come here," he coaxed, taking my glass from me and setting it back on the table before pulling me back to him and placing a soft kiss on my lips. My head was swimming from the close contact as I waited for him to fill me in. Sliding back down next to him, I laid my head on his chest and let the sound of his breathing relax me, once again.

"I'm just giving you a hard time, Bella. I didn't mean to piss you off. I just hate talking about this shit."

"I just want to know you, Edward. _Really _know you. I'm not judging you for coming from money. That would be just as shitty as you judging me for not."

He rubbed soothing circles on my back while telling me a little about his family. I found out he came from a long line of doctors and that his father, Carlisle, was the Chief of Surgery in his hometown of Forks. As he spoke, it really dawned on me that this man I was curled up with was so much more than met the eye. He came from money. He didn't_ have _to work.

A lot of other men in his situation would have lived off of their inheritance, taking vacations and living a life of luxury. But not Edward. Instead, he chose a career that would challenge him both physically and mentally and put his life on the line every day for the sole purpose of helping people. He was a far cry from all the rich kids I had grown up with who had never been grateful a day in their lives for what they had been fortunate enough to be blessed with.

Edward was selfless and kind...and exactly the kind of man my father would want for his little girl. And even though I knew I had no choice, I hated the fact that I had to hide his presence in my life from my family like a dirty little secret. And I knew, deep down, that Charlie and Emmett were both going to be disappointed when they found out I had.

"What are you thinking about?" I felt Edward kiss the top of my head and couldn't help the small sigh that came out of me. _First, I lose control of my words, now I'm making involuntary sounds. Next thing you know, I'll be purring like a fucking cat. Nice... _

"You," I said, truthfully.

"What about me?"

I lifted myself up so I could look at him, wanting to make sure he could see my face and feel the honesty behind my words.

"I was just thinking about how much my dad would like you. And how I wish, more than anything, that I didn't have to keep this," I placed my hand on his jaw, leaning in to him and placing a kiss on his sweet lips before continuing, "u_s_...hidden from him."

Edward smiled thoughtfully, his eyes shining in the light of the fire. "You're really close with your father, huh?"

"I am. I mean, we're all pretty close. But, I've kind of always been Daddy's Little Girl. He's really protective of me, just like my brother, but not in an overbearing, annoy the shit out of me kind of way."

I rested my head on his shoulder and he snickered at my eternal lack of filter. "Well, that's good, I suppose." He turned his body so he was facing me, both of us laying on our sides, our legs woven together as he ran his hand up my back slowly. We looked at each other, his green eyes dark with a desire I had never seen in them before. His hand slid under my hair and I felt his warm hand on my neck, pulling my face to his. He hesitated for a moment as if asking permission, his gaze burning through me and making the familiar heat flare up between my legs.

Edward groaned as I licked my lips in anticipation, silently begging him to close the space between us. He moved his head toward mine, our lips finally meeting in a passionate kiss fueled by the hunger that made us ache for more of each other.

The heat between my legs turned to dampness as I felt Edward's tongue sweep across my bottom lip. I opened my mouth, my tongue coming out to meet his and they intertwined, as my hand started to slide down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as I worked my way down his torso.

I wasn't sure if it was too soon, if we were pushing things too far, but in that moment I just didn't care. All I could think about, all I could focus on, was getting closer to him and feeling his bare skin against mine.

As soon as I had his shirt opened, I couldn't resist the urge to pull back, sucking on his bottom lip before disengaging completely and allowing myself to take in the beauty of Edward's bare chest. He was all lean muscle, the firelight flickering over his slightly bronzed skin.

Rising to my knees, I placed my right leg over Edward's lap, moving myself on top of him. He watched me with hooded eyes as I lowered myself so I was straddling him, placing my hands on his shoulders and leaning forward to claim his lips once again. I felt his hands on my bare skin as the found their way under the hem of my shirt, encircling my waist for a brief moment before gliding down into the waistband of my jeans and cupping my bare ass. He lightly fingered the fabric of my thong, snapping it gently and making me squirm. _Oh. My. God. He's touching my naked ass. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Hmm...I wonder how long it'll be till I touch his? Rawr._

He made a sound that resembled a growl as he lifted his hips, his fingers pressing into the skin of my ass with force as he ground his hard, denim covered cock against me. I broke our kiss, letting out a moan, and closing my eyes as I started to move my hips, sliding myself back and forth against him, feeling his dick grow harder with each pass.

Edward's lips found my ear, sucking gently on the lobe before trailing his tongue down my neck and nipping my skin tenderly with his teeth. He took his hands off my ass and slipped his shirt off my shoulders, my nipples hardening as the crisp evening air invaded the warmth between us.

"Oh my _God _Bella, you are fucking amazing," he said in a gritty voice laced with his desire as I ran my fingers through his hair and leaned forward to capture his lips between mine.

Our breathing started to escalate as his hands found their way back to my ass, slowing my rhythm as he thrust himself into me with fervor, moaning as he found the friction he longed for. I lost myself in the moment, crying out his name as I felt everything tighten inside of me, my panties wet with my need for him. All of him.

"Hey guys! What the hell are you doing out..." I heard Jasper's voice moving closer and gasped with the realization that, once again, we were fucking caught in a compromising position. _At least we weren't caught fucking in a compromising position, right? Ugh...good one, Bella._

"Fucking cockblocking asshole," Edward muttered under his breath as I buried my face in his neck, trying to fight off the giggles that were trying to escape my throat.

I heard the door slam as Jasper fled into the house before Edward had a chance to get up and kick his ass.

"I'm really sorry," he said, shaking his head in exasperation.

I looked at my watch. "It's okay, Edward. It's getting late anyway, and I have to work in the morning. I guess we'll have to, um...continue this another time?" I asked awkwardly, feeling the obnoxiously familiar heat creep over my cheeks once again.

"Oh, you can count on that," he said with his cocky smirk, slapping my ass.

I sighed in response, adjusting my clothing before lifting myself off of him. _Fuck my life. I guess I'm_ not _going to see it afterall..._

* * *

**Ok, don't slap me. *hides her head in shame* Sexy times are coming, I promise! Copward and Snarkella just aren't quite THERE yet, KWIM?**

**Having said that, today is my birthday and there's nothing I'd love more than the gift of your review...Can you do that for me? Please? **


	8. Cutting it Close

**A/N: Well, it's time for another look into the lives of Copward and Snarkella. I know it's been a little while, but I hope it was worth the wait. ;o)**

**Before you read, I want to take a minute and thank each and every one of you for reading and reviewing. I struggle to find the time to write on top of working, raising two kids and just dealing with the fuckery RL seems to throw my way, so it's impossible for me to respond to all of you. However, I want you to know that I read each and every one and I can't even begin to tell you how much they mean to me. I appreciate you all more than you'll ever know. **

**If you didn't know, I recently took over beta'ing for my friend kharizzmatik's unbelievable fic, Emancipation Proclamation. It's one of the best stories in the fandom and I can't encourage you enough to check it out if you haven't already. In addition, a million thanks go out to Khar for being my personal cheering section and always encouraging and supporting me when I need it the most. **

**One more thing before I let you go: I posted a little EmPOV outtake which I wrote for my friend, Miztrezboo for her birthday. I'll periodically be posting more in other POV's as we go, so please check it out and make sure you put it on alert so you don't miss anything. :o) **

**Outfits are in my profile, as always – as well as who I envision as Charlie, Renee, Jake, Angela, Ben and Tanya.**

**Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight. I own Copward, Snarkella and all of the other crazy characters in Making the Cut.**

* * *

**BPOV **

It had been a long few weeks since our first date. October had turned into November and it was hard to believe we were only a week away from Thanksgiving. I knew that meant that we were about to get really fucking busy at the salon and my opportunities to take off earlier on Friday nights were going to be few and far between until after the holidays - which meant finding time to sneak off and see Edward was going to be increasingly difficult.

As much as it sucked, and it _did _suck, Edward was always so fucking sweet and understanding in regard to the way both my career and my family seemed to keep us apart. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, the fact that Emmett and Rose were now a couple eased a little of the stress because my brother was gone so much that when I _did _have a free moment from work, I could usually spend it with Edward. I felt like I needed to thank her, but how do you thank someone for sleeping with your brother and, in effect, making your life a little easier?

I could just imagine how it would go, "_G_ee, thanks for fucking my brother into submission, Rosalie. And now that I've actually said those words to you, I officially need a fucking lobotomy." _ Fuck no, she's going to have to just deal with me showing my appreciation by being a little nicer to her or something because those words will never come out of my fucking mouth. _

Because we'd had so little time together, we hadn't had a 'real' date since the night Jasper had cockblocked us on Edward's back patio. And while my mind was grateful that he had shown up when he did, my body - especially my female anatomy - was aching for a little attention from Police Recruit FuckMeEyes. The way he touched me, the way he looked at me, the way he made me feel; I had never felt any of it before in my life. And something deep down told me he was the only one who would ever make me feel that way.

It was the Saturday before Thanksgiving and I was exhausted, but Emmett had surprised Rosalie with a weekend get away to some bed and breakfast in Prescott after work on Friday so Edward and I were both looking forward to spending some time together once I was off work.

Alice and I had driven to work in her Porsche, so Edward planned to pick me up at the salon around seven so we could get a bite to eat before heading to a movie at the AMC Ahwatukee 24. We hadn't decided what we were going to see, but it really didn't matter to me. I just wanted to be with him.

We had discussed spending the night together since Emmett would be out of the picture, but while we both _wanted_ to take the next step, we didn't want to rush things and chance ruining what we already had between us. Truth be told, neither Edward nor I'd had much luck in the romance department in the past and the possibility of a real future together was more tempting than giving in to our mutual desire...no matter how badly we both wanted to. _And God knows I want to..._every_ part of me wants_ _to. Over and over again. Oh my God, why do I torture myself like this? Because you're so fucking good at it, Bella._

"Have a good time, my little Bellarina!" I heard Alice's sickeningly sweet voice carry up the stairs to me through the empty salon.

I dropped the paperwork I was holding onto Rosalie's desk and walked out of her office to the loft area that looked over the salon, catching a glimpse of her as she ran out the salon door in an effort to escape the heel I was about to take off my foot and throw at her head for using that Godforsaken nickname in public. The bitch was lucky Angela was the only other person in the building with me or I'd pirouette my 'little Bellarina' ass over to her and show her how fucking graceful I was while beating her into submission. _Did that even make sense? Probably not since I know nothing about the fucking ballet__, __but whatever, I tried._

I walked down the stairs, my red peep toe bootie clicking loudly with each step, but not loud enough to drown out Angela's annoying, hyena-like cackle.

"Something funny, Ang?" I asked pointedly as I passed through the salon and into the reception area where she was preparing the deposit for the bank.

She shrugged, trying to hide her smile. "Nope. Not a damn thing."

"That's what I thought," I responded smugly.

Angela smiled as she finished counting the money, putting it in the deposit bag and zipping it up. She looked at me curiously, obviously noting my calm demeanor. She had pointed out to me on more than one occasion that I'd softened up since I'd started to seeing Edward, and while she was enjoying it, I couldn't blame her for being skeptical that it would continue. I was a 'no holds barred' kind of girl and had always embraced that about myself, but I'd started trying to be a little more gentle about it than I used to be.

"What are you and Edward up to tonight?" she asked, breaking the silence.

I looked at my watch to check the time and smiled. "He should be here in a few minutes to pick me up," I said more for my own information than for hers. "We're going to grab a bite to eat and then go see a movie. Are you and Ben doing anything?"

"I don't know," she answered quickly. "I haven't had a chance to talk to him much today, so I guess I'll, uh, see if he has anything planned when I get home."

Her response was rather casual, but something didn't sit right with me. I couldn't put my finger on it and I could've been wrong, but I got the distinct impression Angela was trying to hide something from me. And from the way she dropped her eyes and started fidgeting with the bank bag it was apparent that whatever she was hiding was most likely about her brother.

Things between Angela and I had been somewhat awkward since my break-up with Jake. While she had been instrumental in bringing Edward and me together, she seemed like she almost felt guilty afterward. It dawned on me later that she probably felt like she had betrayed Jacob in doing so. Once I realized what was going on with her, I took her aside and made sure she understood that I had no intention of ever coming between her and Jake, and that I knew that her loyalties to her brother trumped any she had to me.

She was taken aback by the sentiment because it was no secret that I was not always the most reasonable person. But she also knew I meant it - I had never been the kind of person to say something - especially something like _that __-_if I didn't mean it. But in my heart I knew that no matter what, Jacob was her family and family always came first. So, if our friendship had to take a back seat for the time being, I could accept that and not hold any kind of grudge.

Keeping that in mind, I didn't push her for any more information. "Well, I'm sure he'll have something planned for you. One of these days we'll have to double. I think Edward and Ben would like each other, don't you?"

"Um...yeah...they probably would, I guess," she said hesitantly as she unlocked one of the cabinets behind the desk and retrieved her purse. _What the fuck is her deal? I'm trying to be nice and make conversation, but she's being fucking weird and making it really fucking hard for me not to want to ask her what crawled up her ass and died._

"Am I missing something here, Ang?" I asked her, trying my damndest not to go all 'Mean Girls' on her, but feeling my resolve weakening in the awkward tension between us. "I mean, I get that Jake's your brother and I'm his ex-girlfriend, but you _did _give Edward my phone number so why the fuck are you acting like he's the fucking enemy or something?"

Before she could answer me, the door of the salon swung open and Edward walked in, temporarily saving her from my wrath. He was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a short sleeved green and grey checked button down shirt which complimented the green in his eyes and made me lose my train of thought. _Every fucking time, Bella? Really? Every time you see him, you become useless. Is he _that _hot? Yes, yes he is._

My eyes scanned his body from head to toe, drinking in every inch of his beautiful physique. All the torture my brother was putting his cadets through at the academy had made Edward's body more fit than he had been when I met him. While his body had never left anything to be desired before, I could tell his chest was broader, his waist slimmer, his arm and leg muscles more defined. All I wanted to do was see this man naked but I continued to torture myself by not allowing it. I began to wonder if I was a fucking masochist or just plain stupid.

Edward gave Angela a warm smile which was reciprocated, making me wonder if I had just imagined all the bullshit that was about to start before he waltzed in. I couldn't figure out what was going on with her but decided not to dwell on it. I hadn't had any time alone with Edward in weeks and I would be damned if anything even remotely related to Jacob Black was going to fuck tonight up.

His eyes found me and his face lit up. We stood there for a moment, not saying anything but my heart was beating so loudly I was afraid the people across the street could hear it. Angela cleared her throat and I felt the familiar heat creep over my cheeks as I realized that _I _was standing there eyefucking Police Recruit FuckMeEyes. _My, how the tables have turned._

"So, I'm going to leave," she said, awkwardly, slipping out from behind the desk and heading toward the door. "I'll, uh, see you Tuesday, Bella. Good to see you again, Edward." He nodded at her as she walked by him, saying goodbye to her before she exited the salon, leaving us alone together. Finally_._

"Hey Beautiful," he said with a smirk. That smirk of his always seemed to ignite a fire between my legs and today was no exception. _Sexy motherfucker._

My cheeks were burning with flush and I imagined they were close to the same color as the crimson silk blouse I had on with my blue jeans. Still, I couldn't stop staring at him, wishing he'd bridge the gap between us because my brain seemed unable to get the message down to my feet so they would move toward him.

He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. "Hey Bella," he said, a teasing tone in his voice while his eyes continued to bore into me. "You know, if you come closer I might actually let you do a little more than just look. Chances are, I'll let you touch...anywhere you want."

I swallowed hard thinking about all the places I wanted to touch him and knowing if I didn't clear my head and focus, I'd walk over to him and just fucking do it already. No. I was _not _going to give in, no matter how much I wanted to. This was too important to me to screw up because of my raging adolescent-like hormones.

I shook my head and snickered. "Man, you're a smug bastard, aren't you?" I said, coming to my senses and trying to redeem myself a little.

"I am, but can you blame me?" he shrugged innocently, sauntering over to me with a shit eating grin on his face. _Oh Christ, he's doing the 'sex walk' and he's wearing his 'sex boots'. There is no doubt in my mind this fucker knows exactly what he's doing to me and his intentions are anything but innocent._

He stopped right in front of me and reached for me, pushing my wavy hair behind my ear and sliding his hand behind my neck. I felt his fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of my neck as he stood gazing at me, his expression intense. His eyes searched mine with a longing that mirrored my own and I fought back the urge to grab onto him and pull his body closer. I desperately needed more of a connection with him, yet I couldn't peel my eyes from his; it felt as if it had been longer than a few days since I'd seen him.

He ran his thumb across my bottom lip, still cradling my head in his hand. "These lips," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've been thinking about kissing them all fucking day."

I shivered, unable to speak. He groaned as I swept my tongue across his thumb, waiting for him to claim my lips, and every other part of me, as his own. He leaned in to me, bringing his warm mouth to mine, running his tongue across my lip where his thumb had just been. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he held onto my face with both hands, our tongues mingling together as our kiss took on a life of it's own.

I slipped my hands under the hem of his shirt, sliding them up his back and feeling the ripple of each muscle as he strained to maintain control , to not let our passion take us over. It would be so easy to walk up the stairs, go into the bedroom and just give in to our need for one another, but we both knew we weren't ready. And no matter how much our bodies yearned for more, we needed it to be more than just a physical connection... and in that moment, that's all it would have been.

Edward pulled away from me and I actually heard myself fucking whimper at the loss of contact. I smiled, my eyes still closed as I savored the minty taste of him on my lips.

"You are going to be the death of me, Isabella. Do you have _any _idea what you do to me?" he said to me, rubbing my arms gently, as if to warm me up. I had goosebumps and my nipples were hard, which was surely evident through the thin material of my shirt. Little did he know, _that_ was what _he _did to _me..._I was anything but cold.

I giggled. "If you're talking about the rather large, hard thing poking me in the stomach right now...yeah, I think I have an idea. A big one."

I expected him to pull away in embarrassment, but I should have known that Edward never did what I expected. Instead, he grabbed onto my ass and pulled me closer to him, shifting his hips to grind his hard cock into my hip, grinning like a fucking cat that just ate the canary. "You mean _that_, Bella? Yeah...it's a _big _indication of what you do to me, isn't it?" he asked me suggestively.

I felt my body reacting to him and had to fight against the magic of his voodoo penis. A penis I had never even_ seen _but was entranced by none-the-less. And from the feel of it, once I _did _see it, I was rather certain I would be in even more awe of this physically perfect man in front of me. Every part of my body wanted to keep going but my mind was telling me it was time to break the trance I was under or I was going to let things go too far.

I leaned back reluctantly and brought my hand up so I could check the time on my watch. "We better get going if we want to eat something before the movie. Any more time alone with you and I'm afraid we won't make it out the door."

He dropped his hands from my waist, taking a deep breath and running a hand through his hair which I was beginning to realize was a signature Edward move. "I suppose you're right. I promise, I'll behave...but it would be a lot easier to do if you didn't look so goddamn hot every time I saw you." He gave me a sheepish grin, leaning back against the desk and putting some well needed distance between us.

I laughed and shook my head. "God, you never stop, do you?"

He smirked at me and I felt that familiar spark between my legs, once again. I averted my eyes, busying myself with grabbing my Jimmy Choo red and black leopard print bag and looking for the sweater I _thought_ I had brought with me. "Shit."

"What's wrong, Sweetness?" _Oh _that's _a new one. Not gonna lie, I find it amazingly hot that he can call me sweet after I just called him out on his...ahem...cockiness and then cursed. _

"Oh, nothing," I responded absentmindedly as I continued to search for it. "I mean, it's not a big deal but I think I left my sweater in Alice's car this morning and the damn theater is always so fucking cold."

"No worries, Bella," he said as he slid his hand under the hem of my blouse and hooked his finger in one of my belt loops, pulling me closer to him again. He brought his lips to my neck, kissing me softly before finishing his thought. "I'll keep you warm, I promise. Now, let's get out of here before I take you up those stairs and show you exactly how warm I can make you." _Holy fucking panty dropping hotness, Batman. How the _fuck _does he do that? Are my panties still on? _In that moment, I really wasn't certain and had to fight the urge to check and confirm.

We left the salon, his arm wrapped around my waist as I locked the door behind us. I introduced him to The Native New Yorker, a local sports pub type restaurant that was across the street from the theater, after stopping to buy our tickets for the nine o'clock showing of 'Law Abiding Citizen'. Edward wanted to see it for the cop aspect, of course, and I wasn't above drooling over Gerard Butler for a couple hours. I offered to pay for both the tickets _and _dinner but he was hearing nothing of it, which was just one more glaring difference between him and Jake. When Jake and I went out, I was usually the one footing the bill because I made more money than him, which he liked to point out at every given opportunity.

Even though he had just eaten, as soon as we were inside the theater Edward was at the concession area ordering popcorn, drinks and M&M's which he insisted were a "must have" for any movie. I gave Edward a quick kiss before leaving him to run to the ladies' room while he was adding butter to the already buttery movie popcorn, because if there was one thing I knew about myself it was that without fail, I'd have to get up during the fucking movie if I didn't properly prepare. _Damn you, tiny bladder.  
_  
As I walked out of the restroom I fished my Blackberry out of my purse so I could shut it off. It didn't escape my notice that, once again, I was doing something completely out of character, because for the first time in ages I didn't care if I missed a call or a text message. I was with the only person I wanted to talk to, and when I was with him it was as if no one else existed. He had become my everything and that fact seriously fucking floored me.

I was putting my phone back in my purse and had my head down as I came around the corner, not noticing that someone was standing in my path until it was too late. "Oh my God, I'm sorry," I said as I collided into him. He was leaning against the wall with his back to me, but as soon as I saw the familiar tan cargo pants and raspberry colored button down shirt on his muscular frame, my heart sank. _It couldn't be, could it? _

My eyes snapped back down to the floor and my heart raced as I tried to figure out how the fuck I was going to avoid a confrontation if what my eyes were telling me was right. And that's when my fears were confirmed without a shadow of a doubt. On his feet were the brown boots I had purchased for him. _Fuck my life. _

He turned around to face me, a smug smile on his face. "Hey, Bella," he said, his tone snide and almost condescending. I could tell from his stance and his demeanor that, unlike me, he was not shocked to run into me - or, technically speaking, that I had run into him. _What the fuck is going on?_

I stood in my spot, dumbfounded at his casual behavior until I heard the cackle ring out from behind him, my eyes scanning the room until they fell on the person the sound was coming from. _Angela. _She was standing over to the right of the concession area, talking to some blonde in black leggings and a grey and black striped over-sized top. I had no idea who she was because her back was to me, but I got the distinct impression that they were out together and since Jake was standing in front of me, I could only assume that the blonde was his date and that Angela's husband must have been somewhere close by.

The blonde was talking animatedly as I glared at Angela over Jake's shoulder, unable to believe what I was seeing unfold in front of me. This was_ not _a chance meeting. This was why Angela had been acting so sketchy back at the salon.

This whole fucking thing was _planned._

I couldn't for the life of me figure out why Angela would pull this shit with me. We were friends, weren't we? Or had I read her intentions wrong all this time? No, there was absolutely no way that could be the case. And when her eyes met mine, I read her attempt at a fearful apology in them and I knew I was right. Just like he'd bullied me so many times during our relationship, he was now bullying his sister. And I wasn't going to stand for it.

"So this is what you've resorted to now?" I asked him pointedly, knowing I had to put an end to this shit once and for all or he would continue to manipulate his sister the way he had me. "You get your sister to 'spy' on me and tell you where I'm going to be so you can show up and make a scene?"

"The only one making a scene here is you. I just happened to be here and you just happened to bump into me. It's a free country, Bella."

"Oh Jesus, Jacob, give me a fucking break. We both know you're full of shit, so why don't you finally grow a set and admit it."

I heard a female call Edward's last name and looked away from Jake, feeling a pang of jealousy as I tried to see where the voice had come from. The dread that had settled in when I saw Jacob increased ten fold when I realized who was talking to Edward. It was the blonde who had been chatting with Angela. She had seen Edward pass them as he made his way over to me and had turned to call to him over her shoulder. When I saw her face, all the pieces of the puzzle came together. _Tanya fucking Denali. You have _got _to be fucking kidding me. Could it be any more perfect?_

I waved at Edward to let him know I was okay and he begrudgingly turned around and walked over to say hello to Tanya and Angela, who was now standing arm in arm with her husband, Ben. I watched Edward and Ben shake hands and engage in small talk before turning my attention back to Jacob.

"Alright, Jacob," I said, narrowing my eyes and crossing my arms in front of me, "This shit needs to stop. I don't know what you're up to and honestly, I don't fucking care but whatever it is, leave your sister out of it. No matter how hard you try, using her to get to me isn't going to work."

"Bella, just listen to---" I put my hand up to stop him before he went off on one of his tirades. It didn't matter what he had to say - I knew what I wanted and it wasn't him. I had Edward and for some reason I would never understand, he was obviously seeing Tanya now. _Ok, I lied...I understand it. Tanya is easy and desperate - just the way Jake likes his women. Wait, what the fuck does that say about me? Moving on..._

"No," I shook my head in exasperation, my voice firm but quiet so as not to draw any unwanted attention our way. "There's nothing left to say. How dare you put your sister in the middle of all of this crap and try to force her to choose sides. She and I work together, we're _friends, _and I respect her enough not to put her in an uncomfortable position. I can't, for the life of me, figure out how you sleep at night with some of the shit you pull. But this, this is just fucking low...even for you."

He glared at me with an anger in his eyes that I'd never seen before, and if I had been alone with him I would've been scared. But I knew that if I let him see that he was frightening me, he'd win. And I wasn't about to let him fucking do that. So, before he could see the chink in my armor, I pushed past him, walking over to Edward where he was still chatting with Ben and wrapping my arms around him from behind.

"Hey, Bells!" Ben greeted me with a warm smile, wrapping his arm around Angela who was fidgeting nervously with the hem of her blue shirt, refusing to make eye contact with me. "I was just telling Edward that it's been way too long since we hung out. You guys should come over after the holidays."

"Sounds nice," I said, eyeing Angela as I slipped under Edward's arm and leaned across him to pick up my drink off the counter he was leaning against before settling back into him. Tanya walked off with a huff; I assumed she was going to make an effort to help Jake lick his wounds while they discussed what a bitch I was. Not that I cared. My only concern was that Angela pulled her head out of her ass and didn't let this shit happen again. I could forgive her once, but if this was going to become a habit, she was going to feel my wrath like she'd never felt it before. And considering she was already scared shitless of me, something told me that was something she'd want to avoid.

I looked up and noticed they were finally seating in our theater, so we said our goodbyes and went to find our seats. Edward didn't ask any questions, he just raised the armrest between us and put his arm around me, pulling me into him. He kissed the top of my head as the lights in the theater dimmed and I took a few deep breaths, inhaling his scent and allowing it to calm me because I refused to let Jacob ruin any more of the time we had together. I had relaxed into his side by the time the opening credits began and we watched the movie in a comfortable silence. Okay, he watched the movie, I spent most of the two hours watching him. Gerard Butler had nothing on Edward Cullen.

During the car ride home, I explained everything to Edward, having sufficiently calmed down enough to be able to tell him without going off on a tangent about what a piece of shit my ex had become. He walked me to the door and pulled me into his arms, placing a lingering kiss on my lips and making every part of me wish I had agreed to stay at his place with him.

"Thank you for dinner and the movie...and for putting up with all the bullshit drama that always seems to find me when we're together. Sometimes I wonder why you do it." I felt like an ass for being such a _girl _and needing some reassurance from him, but as I looked at him and realized how important to me he had become, I couldn't stop myself from asking him for it.

"Do you really think any of this shit would be enough to keep me away from you?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him so I could feel his hardness. He leaned forward and captured my lips with his as I slid my hands behind his neck, intertwining my fingers in his hair. I held him there for a moment, not wanting the kiss to end, but knowing it had to.

"Goodnight, my Bella," he said in barely a whisper, his eyes still closed as a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"Goodnight, my Edward," I responded with a chuckle. He placed another quick kiss on my lips, squeezing my waist gently before letting me go so I could unlock the door and step inside.

He started to walk away then hesitated, turning to face me once again. "I'll see you on Thursday," he said with a smirk.

"Thursday is Thanksgiving, Edward," I said, my tone questioning.

"I know it is, Bella," he said with a laugh. "Alice managed to get both Jasper and me an invite to your parents' house for dinner. I have no idea how she did it, but I decided it was best not to ask. I'm just glad I can spend the holiday with my girl, even if I have to hide the fact that she's my girl all day." My eyes widened with surprise and he looked at me as if waiting for my approval. "Unless you're uncomfortable with that?"

"No, of course not," I said immediately. "We just have to be careful, for your sake."

He nodded his head in agreement, raising his hands up as if in defeat. "I'm not going to lie and say it's going to be easy to be so close to you and not be able to touch you, but I promise I'll behave. You can trust me."

He winked, giving me a quick wave before turning back around and walking to his car. I didn't move from my spot as he got in and closed his door, starting the engine and pulling out of my driveway.

Edward was spending Thanksgiving with me and my family. He was going to sit at the dinner table and eat with, make conversation with and watch football with the people who could have _no _idea that we even _knew _each other, let alone that we were dating. I wasn't sure if I should hug Alice or kick her ass. On the one hand, I was thrilled he was coming, but I was also afraid we couldn't pull it off. And why hadn't she told me? What was she... _Wait, did Edward just call me 'his girl'? _

* * *

"Hey, Baby Girl," my dad said, opening the front door to his house and pulling me into him for a hug. "Happy Thanksgiving! Come on in, ladies." He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a khaki colored button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a days worth of scruff on his face from not shaving, which was always the case on his days off. It was easy to see from looking at him where Emmett got his good looks.

"Hi, Daddy," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and walking inside with Alice not far behind me. "Where's Mom?"

"In the kitchen checking the turkey and before you ask, your brother and Rosalie are in the back by the pool. What time did you tell your boyfriend to be here, Al?"

I looked at Alice, raising my eyebrows at the term 'boyfriend'. "Yeah, Al, what time _did _you tell your _boyfriend?"_

"Shut the fuck up, Bella," she said, glaring at me and then gasping when she realized what she had said in front of my father. "Sorry, Charlie. Your daughter tends to bring out the worst in me. I never know whether I want to punch her or hug her."

"Well," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head, "Do me a favor and try _not _to punch her today...for me, okay, kiddo? Call me crazy, but I'm kind of fond of her. And, unless you want my wife to smack you over the head with a rolled up newspaper, you probably want to make sure you don't talk like that around her." He gave her one of his signature dad winks before letting go of her and sending us out back to join Emmett and Rosalie while he went to see what he could help with in the kitchen.

"Your dad is such a DILF," Alice said as we stepped out onto the back patio. _Who the fuck says that shit? Oh right, the eyefucking spewer of word vomit otherwise known as my best friend does. Fucking bitch._

"Oh my God, Alice...shut the fuck up. He's my_ dad. _I don't want to hear that shit. What the fuck is wrong with you?" I shook my head spotting Rosalie and Emmett sitting together on a lounge chair and watched them for a minute before interrupting.

They were a striking couple, her long blonde hair such a stark contrast to his short dark curls. Both of them wore jeans, but Rosalie had on a gorgeous royal blue silk top while Emmett was wearing a dark green short sleeved T-shirt. It was strange how they were so different yet fit together so perfectly. And though I never would have guessed it to be the case, the connection between them was solid.

"Hey, guys!" Alice called out to them, waving.

"Hey, Shortcake! You look gorgeous! That recruit of mine better be worshiping at your feet when he sees you or I'm gonna have him doing a little PT before dinner," my brother said with a devious grin.

"Damn right," Alice agreed, putting a hand on her hip and flipping her long brown hair with the other. There was no doubt in my mind that Jasper would waste no time telling Alice how beautiful she looked, because she did. She was wearing a pair of bootcut black jeans that hugged her in all the right places, like everything else she owned. She paired them with a black and white tiered bubble top with black straps and a bow around the waist and finished her look with a matching pair of Christian Louboutin platform pumps. She looked good. There was no denying that. And there was absolutely no way Jasper would be able to deny her anything looking the way she did, which I was sure was the point.

We walked over to where they were sitting and listened to Emmett rattle on about how it was against his better judgment to be spending a holiday with recruits because he didn't want the line to be blurred between the personal and professional. Luckily, both my mother and father wouldn't hear of someone spending the holidays alone, which is why Rose and Alice had been invited to our gatherings since I'd met them, as their parents were always traveling for the entire season.

I heard the glass door slide open behind us and turned to see my mother walking out to join us in a pair of dark bootcut jeans with a dark blue-violet ruffled blouse that cinched at the waist, carrying a pitcher of Margaritas and a tray of glasses. Always the consummate hostess, she was in her element when entertaining which was easy to see by the warm smile that graced her face.

"Look who's here!" she said, placing the tray down on the glass patio table and walking over to greet all of us. Her bubbly personality was overflowing as she hugged us all, laughing animatedly when Emmett scooped her up into a big bear hug, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around. It was always amusing to watch them together because they were so much alike in personality yet so different in appearance. She was so petite that it seemed virtually impossible that she had actually given birth to the monster of a man that my big brother had become.

Emmett placed her back down on her feet as she smacked his arm and shook her finger at him, warning him not to do that shit again. It didn't matter how big he was or that he carried a gun and could reduce a class full of recruits to the verge of tears, when it came down to it, he was a softy - especially when it came to Renee. And as I giggled while watching them, it really dawned on me how fucking lucky we were.

I had always thought that our mother had given up everything to be a wife and a mother, but for the first time in my life I was seeing reality through vision that was no longer clouded by my fucked up belief that a woman had to have a career to succeed - for her life to _mean_ something. Renee had success that exceeded anything I could ever achieve at a mere vocation...she had love, she had happiness, she was _fulfilled_. She hadn't missed out on anything; she had _everything__._ In that moment, that fact had never been clearer to me.

I was so deep in thought that I hadn't heard my father approach and jumped a little when I felt his arm around my shoulders. "I seem to have found two gentlemen looking for a place to have Thanksgiving dinner so I invited them in," my father said, jokingly. Alice spun around, walking as fast as her high heels would carry her across the flagstone patio and over to Jasper as he stepped outside in grey jeans and a pink dress shirt. She threw her arms around him with such force that he struggled to stay upright, stumbling backwards into Edward. We all laughed at Alice's over-zealousness, not that it was a shock to any of us. We all knew her well, and she was not one to hide her excitement for _any _reason.

"Happy Thanksgiving, guys," my mom said with a smile, tucking her shoulder length brown hair behind her ears casually and waving them over to where she was standing by Emmett and Rosalie. Edward walked by me and because I had absolutely no control over any of my faculties whenever he was near, my eyes automatically followed him. He had on a simple pair of black jeans and a light blue button down shirt with white stripes, his hair was in it's usual fuckhot disarray and because he must have wanted to put the final nail in my coffin, he had on those goddamn sex boots that he knew were my favorite. _Soooooooo many things to be thankful for this year. And those motherfucking sex boots are going to the top of the list._

Alice introduced Edward and Jasper to my mother as my father filled the glasses she had brought out with Chief Swan's famous Margaritas, as he called them, and I helped him distribute them to everyone. I made sure to hand one to Edward, briefly making eye contact with him as he thanked me, smirking at the idiotic blush that permeated my cheeks.

"How do you know Edward, Bella?" my father asked me when I walked back over to get a drink for myself, making my heart race.

I almost dropped my glass in shock. "I...I don't know Edward," I stammered. "What are you talking about?"

"Relax, Baby Girl, it was just a question," he responded with a chuckle, patting me on the back. "You two just seemed to be familiar with each other and didn't need to be introduced so I was curious."

"Oh yeah, um, I met him the day we had lunch with Emmett at the academy," I said, shrugging and trying to sound casual but failing miserably.

Charlie shook his head, laughing as he led me over to where everyone was standing so he could make a toast before Mom checked her watch, telling us it was time for dinner. We all made our way to the dining room where my father said a prayer and then carved the turkey. I sat next to Emmett who had Rosalie on his other side, while Jasper sat across from her and next to Alice, leaving Edward seated directly across from me. All through dinner, we exchanged quick glances and smiles at each other as we ate, trying so hard to hide our fascination with each other from those around us. No one seemed to notice when he stuck his tongue out at me and I giggled or when I teased him by licking my lips suggestively and winking, causing him to groan. We both thought we were fucking clever and were enjoying the thrill of our little games because we were getting away with it all.

Or so we thought.

After dinner, Rosalie, Alice and I helped my mom clear the table and load the dishwasher while the men retired to the family room to watch football. Once the dishes were done, my mom encouraged Alice and Rose to go spend some time with their boyfriends, leaving me alone to help her set up for dessert.

"So, how long have you and Edward been dating?" my mother asked casually as she reached behind her and handed me the pecan pie that had been sitting on a rack to cool. _Oh shit. She did _not _just say what I think she did, did she? _

She still had her back to me as I stood there in shock, in the middle of my parents' kitchen, holding a pecan pie and trying to figure out how to fucking respond to what my mother had just so nonchalantly asked me.

"What are you talking about? Edward and I...we're not...dating." _Wow, Bella, way to convince her. If nothing else, you just totally proved her right, you fucking idiot._

Renee laughed as she placed the pumpkin pie she had just pulled out of the oven onto the counter and reached in the refrigerator for the whipped cream before shutting the door and turning to face me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, do you _really_ think I'm _that _stupid? Give me some credit, Sweetheart - I've been your mother your entire life and I can read you like a book. You two might be fooling your brother, but you sure as Hell aren't fooling me." She put the whipped cream down and tapped me under my chin before continuing, "Now close your mouth and put that pie down so you can cut it. Otherwise, your brother will think the whole thing is just for him and I don't need Emmett and Alice duking it out on a holiday."

"Mom..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say to her. My brain and my mouth just weren't connecting and it was really starting to piss me off. There were so many things I wanted to say, but most of all I needed to find out if my father knew because she hadn't mentioned anything about Charlie. But my fucking voice just wouldn't work. Instead, I stood there like a fool, waiting for the drool to start running down my chin because I couldn't even close my fucking mouth.

She took the pie from me and put her other arm around me, handing me a knife and urging me to cut it. "And no, your father doesn't know. Not yet, at least."

I breathed a sigh of relief and my hands started to connect with my brain again as I began to slice the pie like she had asked me to while the wheels in my head kept turning. My mother was very intuitive, this I knew, but if _she_ noticed what was going on between Edward and me, I was pretty certain my father wasn't too far off our trail. He was a cop for Christ's sake, it was his job to figure shit out.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Nope," she answered simply, pulling out plates and coffee cups in preparation for dessert."But you are."

I snorted. _Oh no, crazy lady, I'm so _not_ going to tell him...not yet at least._

* * *

**So, last chapter, I got the most reviews ever – so many of you fulfilled my birthday wishes by leaving me some love. This chapter, I hope you'll help me in blowing that number out of the water. So many of you have this story on alert but never let me know what you think and I'd love to hear your theories on what's to come, your ideas for what outtakes you'd like to see, what songs you think of when reading my story, etc. So, for me, can you click that little button and leave me some feedback? I'd really appreciate it…and so would Copward. ;o)**


	9. Ironing it Out

**A/N: So, I know...I suck. I took a long time to update and for that, I apologize. However, if you know me, you know that my RL has been full of amazing fuckery and it's really difficult to channel Copward when I'm in a pissy mood. And while a pissed off Copward can be seriously hot, I didn't think it was a good idea to take any chances. LOL**

**As usual, I have to thank my friend Kharizzmatik for pushing me to write, encouraging me when I couldn't and supporting me through it all - real life included. I love you. :o)  
**

**I also want to thank ilsuocantante for beta'ing for me and all my Twitter peeps that let me know even when it's been awhile, they still look forward to my updates. :o)**

**Outfits are on my profile...as if you didn't know I was going to say that. haha  
**

**Without further ado, an entire chapter in EPOV - I thought you might like that. ;o)  
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**Stephenie Meyer's owns everything Twilight - but we all know Copward and Snarkella are mine to do with as I please. ;)**

* * *

**EPOV**

It was becoming more and more apparent to me that hiding my feelings for Bella was an almost impossible feat. Thanksgiving dinner with her family was very nearly painful for me. And it wasn't because I was sitting at a table with my class Sergeant and the Chief of Police. It wasn't because her family was rude or unwelcoming, not in the least. No, it was because the entire time I sat across from her, watching her eat and flirting with her, all I fucking wanted to do was tell them the _truth_. They deserved to know it. And Bella deserved to be able to tell them.

The whole situation just fucking sucked.

Well, except for Bella...Bella didn't suck. _Not _yet_ at least. Oh my God, I need to be fucking neutered._

I don't know what I had been expecting, but I found myself a little shocked at how comfortable Bella's family had made me from the minute her father opened the front door. I had seen the Chief a few times at the Academy and while he had always been friendly, he was still very professional. At home, in a social setting, he was very laid back and actually really fun to be around. He greeted us warmly and ushered Jasper and me out onto the back patio where he joined Bella who was standing off to the side in a plum shirt that let one of her gorgeous tan shoulders peek through and a pair of faded bootcut jeans that showcased her perfect, round ass. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her from behind and rub my dick up against that ass as I ran my tongue across her shoulder and up her neck...but something told me that probably wasn't a very good idea.

So, I acted as nonchalant as I could...and thank _God_ my fucking dick followed my lead for once. My eyes, however, were less than compliant. I struggled all day to keep my gaze from following her every move and each time I tried to distract myself, I felt her eyes on me which only made me want to look at her more. And God knows, Jasper was absolutely no help. I had asked him before we left the house to keep me busy and distract me and he had promised he would but when the eyefucker attacked him and practically bowled both of us over as soon as we got there, I knew all bets were off. He was like a freaking fangirl when he was around her, and I should have known better. As usual, I was on my own. And yes, maybe I was a little bitter and jealous because I wished _I _could openly swoon over Bella, but the fact still remained that I couldn't.

Not yet.

Luckily, even though I was left to my own devices, the day seemed to go pretty smoothly. Bella and I did our best to keep our distance from each other and even though she was blatantly flirting with me at the dinner table, everyone seemed too busy consuming the amazing meal her mother had prepared to notice. _Thank God._ She was playing with fire, her brother sitting on one side of her and her father on the other, but she didn't seem to care. It was in that moment that I realized that this was just as hard for her as it was for me.

After dinner, the girls helped Bella's mom clean up while we men went into the living room to watch the annual Cowboys game. Thank _God_ the Swans were Cowboys fans, because Jasper probably would've had a panic attack if his bosses were cheering against his team, knowing it wouldn't be a smart idea to school them as to why that was just _wrong _in every aspect imaginable, like he had me. And everyone else at the bar we were at while watching them play. Yes, Jasper was a die hard Cowboys fan and if you were his friend, it was like a fucking pre-requisite that you were one as well. And somehow, that sly motherfucker seemed to be able to make that happen - I had no fucking idea how. It may have had something to do with the fact that I couldn't stand hearing him drone on about how they were a "far superior team to any other in the NFL. And you don't have to be from Texas to know that shit, Cullen. It is what it is." _Oh my God did that pathetic excuse for reasoning actually work on me? Yes, yes it did. How the hell does he do that shit?_

Rosalie and Alice joined us for the game after the dishes were done, while Bella remained in the kitchen with her mom. I didn't think much of it until the eyefucker plopped herself down on the couch between me and Jasper and did exactly what she always does, she eyefucked me. Okay, so maybe she wasn't eyefucking me as much as she was staring at me with a smirk on her face and one of her smug, little, perfectly manicured eyebrows raised, waiting for some kind of reaction from me.

I tried to ignore her and watch the game, but her stare was burning a fucking hole through me and I just couldn't take it anymore so I gave in. "What?" I mouthed to her, widening my eyes to demonstrate my aggravation with her.

"You. Are. Dead," she mouthed back dramatically with an evil grin.

My heart started pounding in my chest. I hadn't known Alice very long, but one thing I knew without a shadow of a doubt was that she had some kind of sixth sense and often was able to 'know' things before anyone else did. And if that was the case here, I had a feeling she was trying to give me a heads up that someone was on to Bella and me - and getting _way _too much fucking enjoyment out of doing so.

I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to the exchange between us before cutting my eyes back to her and motioning for her to continue. When she didn't, I mouthed, "Who?"

She shrugged. _Shrugged. _And I resisted the urge to pull on her hair like a little baby who wasn't getting his way and demand she explain. Since the day I met her, Alice was like that annoying little sister who would do everything she could to annoy the _shit _out of me, and it always seemed to work. Normally, I would've returned her annoying bullshit - and done a _much_ better job at doing so, might I add - but since we were in the home of the Chief of Police, I didn't think it was a good idea. Truth be told, it took everything I had to resist the urge to throw her on the floor and let a string of drool hover over her head, threatening to fall at any moment if she didn't just fucking _spill it_ already. _Wow. I have issues. Torturing a woman with my spit to get what I want is _so_ classy...maybe I can give her a fucking swirly while I'm at it, too. Nice, Edward. Really nice._

Alice narrowed her eyes at me as if reading my thoughts and I almost felt ashamed. Almost. But then I got over it and smirked at her in some form of misguided self satisfaction. If the eyefucker was somehow privy to what I was thinking, it was her own fault for being so damn nosy. _That fucking swirly is sounding sooooooo good right now. Take _that_ eyefucker._ _Yeah, I just exude class today, my mother would be so proud.  
_  
Before I knew what was happening, I felt a sharp pain on the underside of my thigh and involuntarily made a sound that would have put Roseanne Barr to shame. The bitch had _pinched _me. Was I shocked that she did it? No. It wasn't the first time she'd pinched me; Alice was a pincher and she'd done it to me many times in the past couple of months. But what _did _shock me was the ridiculously shrill, effeminate sound that came out of my mouth when she did it. And when I looked up and noticed that everyone in the room, and I mean _everyone_, was looking at me, I vowed internally to make that swirly a painful reality.

"What the hell was that, Cullen?" Sarge asked me, trying not to laugh but failing miserably.

I looked at Alice and she was doubled over with the offending hand now gripping her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably. Next to her was my shithead of a roommate who, I was certain, knew what his girlfriend had just done because she spent more than enough time at my house and he'd witnessed our exchanges on many occasions. Jasper was laughing as well, and pretending to wipe tears from the corners of his eyes as I sat there and searched my mind for some plausible reason to give that would explain my less than manly outburst.

"That sound has my sister written all over it," Rosalie piped up in between her gasps for air. Alice snapped her neck up to look at her with a look on her face that I was grateful wasn't directed at me. She was small but she was far from frail and when she was pissed, her anger rivaled that of Godzilla's. "What did she do to you, Edward? Wait...don't tell me. Knowing Alice, she took a small sliver of skin between her perfectly manicured nails and squeezed. Am I right? It's her signature move."

I nodded, still unable to speak - or maybe I was just afraid of what my voice would sound like if I did - and Jasper laughed even harder, clearly amused by his girlfriend's crap, as usual.

"That's my girl," he said proudly, and as annoyed as I was with the fact that he was so damn proud of her for embarrassing the shit out of me in front of Bella's family, I couldn't help but laugh with them all at my expense.

Still gripping her stomach from laughing so hard, Alice leaned toward me and nudged me with her shoulder, winking at me when I gave her a dirty look. I still wanted to know what the fuck she was talking about before she decided to use her freakishly strong fingers to assault my flesh, but with all the attention she had drawn to us, I knew I wasn't going to find out. Instead, we all, thankfully, focused our attention back to the football game until we heard Bella's voice calling, "Dessert!" from the kitchen.

As soon as she heard Bella's words ring out, Alice's head snapped over to Sarge who was already looking straight at her. I had no idea what the fuck was going on, but they sat there for a few moments, staring each other down before scrambling to their feet and taking off toward the kitchen. Rosalie groaned, shaking her head in mock irritation. "I swear to God, they are ridiculous," she said with a smile.

"The ridiculous part is that someone as tiny as your sister can eat my mammoth son under the table," Chief Swan said with a chuckle, standing up and stretching. "Come on, we better get in there before there's nothing left for the rest of us."

When we made it into the kitchen, I saw with my own eyes what Rosalie and the Chief had been referring to. "I hope you like pumpkin pie, boys," Bella's mom said, rolling her eyes in a joking manner. "I had a feeling the pecan wouldn't last long."

Rosalie walked over to her sister and her boyfriend who, together, were polishing off the last of the pecan pie. She smacked them both on the back of the head and muttered, "Pigs," before picking up a plate and putting a slice of pumpkin pie on to it. She handed the plate to the Chief and continued to do so for the rest of us as Bella poured coffee.

"Be nice, Rosie," Emmett said after swallowing his final bite. He threw his arm around Alice and grinned from ear to ear. "Shortcake makes things interesting. I never had to fight to get my pecan pie before she came around. Makes me appreciate it more."

Alice snorted, elbowing him in the rib and making him jump. "No, you have it all wrong, _ass_," she grumbled with a smirk. "_I _never had to fight for the pecan pie before _you _came around. Renee made it for me every year and no one else had the nerve to touch it until you moved back. Now the prodigal son returns and I have to fight to get what's rightfully _mine. _Unacceptable."

"Now, now, _children," _Bella's mom said, narrowing her eyes at both of them. "I made that pie for _everyone, _to be accurate, but knowing how both of you eat, I should've had the sense to make two. I'll have to keep that in mind for Christmas. And speaking of Christmas, I know you don't have a lot of time off over the holidays, so if you're both going to be in town and away from your families, you are more than welcomed to join us." She looked at Jasper and me with a warm smile, before looking at Bella pointedly and adding, "Right, Bella?"

That was when it all came together for me. Alice was warning me that Bella's mom _knew_. I didn't know how she found out or how much she knew, but there was no doubt that she did. The look on her face alone confirmed that was the case, but when her eyes met mine and she raised her eyebrows and gave me a subtle nod, it became an absolute certainty to me.

The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. Alice and Emmett were a source of constant entertainment, as she seemed to have the same effect on him that she did on me - you couldn't help but love her, even when you really wanted to hate her. She was sneaky and crafty and a _lot _of fun...when she wasn't being irritating. When he wasn't play fighting with Alice, Emmett spent his time cuddling with Rosalie, who seemed to dote on him in every possible way. I hadn't spent a lot of time with her, but it was easy to see that while she was a straight shooter like her sister, and Bella for that matter, Rosalie was a little softer around the edges. She seemed to almost be the mama bear of the three girls, always watching out for them or trying to keep them in line, while still being able to join in the fun at the same time. I really liked her and was glad Bella was lucky enough to have friends like her and Alice.

Bella had an amazing family, friends included. She had surrounded herself with people who were kind and generous, fun and easy going, loving and supportive. Looking at everything from the outside in, I still couldn't wrap my head around how she had ended up with the douche bag she had been with when we met. And if it was hard for me to understand, I was positive her family was even more confused by the whole thing. Which meant I was going to have to really prove myself to them...and starting things off by lying to them probably wasn't the smartest move.

What the fuck had we gotten ourselves into? Would it have really been that bad to just suck it up and come clean with Sarge and face the awaiting consequences head on? Was I really _that _much of a fucking pussy? No, I wasn't. So when Bella's mom cornered me as I was coming out of the bathroom shortly before leaving that evening and asked me to join her and Bella for lunch on Sunday, I didn't even hesitate to agree. It was the first step in making our relationship known and it was becoming more apparent to me with each passing day that there was nothing I wanted more than to do just that.

And then, all the way home, I wondered if I had any idea what I was getting myself into because if Mrs. Swan was anything like her daughter, I could be in for a serious ball-breaking. _This might be a good time to start searching for my protective cup..._

* * *

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I was nervous. I knew I was being a pussy, but I couldn't help it, this was big. No, not just big, _huge_. And the nerves I was feeling about having lunch with Bella and her mother just confirmed my suspicions...I was in love.

I lay in my bed questioning myself, trying to make sense of what I knew I was feeling and knowing it was no use. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, I knew it was true. It didn't seem possible or rational in any way as I had known her for less than two months and had never fallen for anyone this fast in my life. But then again, I had never felt like this about anyone before either and I knew that from the moment I met her. Bella was different. Bella was special.

Bella was _the one._

_Holy fucking shit. I fucking love her, I do, there is no other explanation. I'm surprised I haven't been absentmindedly doodling her name all over my work papers, drawing a heart around it and writing 'true love forever' next to it like a little girl with a childhood crush. Shit, I better check my fucking papers before I turn them in..._

I knew I wasn't ready to actually tell her how I felt, but after admitting my feelings for Bella to myself, I wanted to say the words out loud to _someone. _I knew Jasper was up because I could hear him fixing himself breakfast while making a mess of my kitchen, which he did every Sunday morning. I contemplated going out there and talking to him about it all but I knew if I told him, he'd tell the eyefucker and there was no possible way she wouldn't say something to Bella. Nope, Jasper was definitely out.

Since both Bella and Jasper weren't options, I rolled over and picked up my cell phone from where it had been charging on the table next to my bed and unplugged it, laying back down and looking at the time. It was a few minutes before nine in the morning which was late to me, seeing as I was up at four during the week, but still too early to make the phone call I wanted to make. There was only one other person I could even fathom discussing something like this with and that wasn't an option either.

I needed to distract myself before I had a fucking coronary so I decided to get my ass out of bed and take a shower. Before I got up, however, I couldn't resist a quick text to Bella, even though I was going to see her in a couple of hours.

**Good morning, Beautiful. -PRFME**

**Hey you...I was just laying in bed thinking of you. ;) -B**

**Are you trying to kill me? You're laying in bed thinking of me? What were you thinking? lol -PRFME**

***blushes* -B**

**OMG, you ARE trying to kill me. -PRFME**

**Let's just say I wasn't thinking about your...eyes, PRFME. ;) -B**

**Oh yeah? Anything you want to share? -PRFME**

**Nope. I'd rather show you. Maybe someday... - B**

**Maybe?! Someday?! -PRFME**

**See ya later, PRFME. ;) -B**

I groaned in frustration as I set my phone back on the table with a huge smile on my face. It amazed me how she could make my dick hard as a rock with a few key strokes on her cell phone. Everything about her made me want her more and if I didn't get some kind of release with something other than my hand in the near future, I was convinced I was going to spontaneously combust. I considered taking matters into my own hands once again while I was in the shower, but something about jerking off right before I called my mother to confess my love for Bella to her just seemed...wrong.

I got out of the shower and dried off, wrapping the towel around my waist before walking back into my bedroom to retrieve my phone. It was an hour earlier in Forks, so I checked the clock again before dialing, not wanting to wake either one of my parents. Carlisle had a ritual of getting up around eight in the morning on Sundays to make breakfast and read the paper, giving my mom a chance to sleep in, so I knew he would be up and hoped by this time Esme would be, too.

The phone rang three times before I heard the click of the line as my mother picked up the phone and greeted me, "Good morning, Edward," she said with a laugh, having undoubtedly checked the Caller ID before picking up.

"Morning, Mom," I mumbled, my voice still scratchy, having not spoken since I woke up. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Hey, Honey! How was your Thanksgiving? Dad and I were a little surprised we didn't hear from you after the dinner with your girlfriend's family. She is your girlfriend, right? When do we get to meet her? At your graduation? She'll be there, right?" _Jesus, already starting with the questions...I obviously didn't wake her. Although, knowing her interrogation skills like I do,_ _she can probably fire them off in her sleep. _

"Holy shit, Mom," I teased, "how many questions did you just ask me in one breath?"

"Watch your mouth, smartass," she responded, making me laugh once again and easing the trepidation that had been building within me since I'd awoken. My mom was always good at putting me at ease which only served to reinforce my decision to fill her in on _everything _that was going on in my life. "So? Am I going to get an answer to any of my questions or what?"

"Sometimes talking to you is like being put through the Spanish Inquisition, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Stop stalling and just answer the questions, Edward. You may be far away, and a grown man for that matter, but you will always be my child and if I have to fly out there to put you over my knee, you know I will."

I snorted. "Fine, _Esme_, you win." She hated when I used her real name and groaned as soon as she heard it come out of my mouth.

"I'm the mom, I always win," she said with a smile in her voice. "Now, spill it...my patience with you is running out."

"Nice," I said dryly. "Let's see...what did you ask me? Um, Thanksgiving was really nice. Chief and Mrs. Swan were very welcoming and Sarge was actually pretty fun to hang out with. It was almost as good as being home with you guys, which was nice considering this was the first holiday I think we've ever spent apart, right?" _Wow, I am _such _a mama's boy._

"I'm so glad to hear that, Edward. You know I was driving your father crazy with my worrying and we missed having you here, but it's good to know that you have people out there to spend the holidays with. Now...get to the good stuff."

"Wow, settle down there, Mom. I'm starting to get the feeling you might be a little interested in my love life, no?"

I heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone followed by "Edward..." which she said in a very irritated tone, cluing me in to the fact that she was losing her patience with me. I loved giving my mom a hard time, as she did me, but it was early on a Sunday morning so there was only so far I could push it. And, from the way things were sounding, I knew we were swiftly approaching her limit.

"Okay, okay, _relax_," I laughed as I started to pull out some clothes out to wear to lunch, realizing I only had an hour until I was supposed to be there and was still sitting around in nothing but my towel. "I don't even know where to begin. I guess I just really want to ask _you_ a question, Mom, and I really need you to keep an open mind and not jump to conclusions. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course I can, sweetie. Shoot."

"Do you think it's possible to fall in love with someone after knowing them for less than two months?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone and I knew that meant one of two things: My mother was trying to compose herself because she was either really excited that I was asking her about falling in love, or mortified that I was talking to her about the subject so soon after meeting Bella. While I knew the latter of the two choices was a worst case scenario kind of possibility, I really didn't think either choice was preferable at the moment - I needed her to focus and be rational, rather than emotional, and I seriously hoped I wasn't mistakenly expecting too much of her. As I waited for her response, I wondered if I had done the right thing by calling her, though it was only mere seconds that she kept me waiting, it seemed like a fucking lifetime.

I pulled on a pair of black jeans, slipping a black and white striped, short sleeved shirt over my head as I waited impatiently for her to fucking say something to break the silence that was doing nothing to ease my already abundant fears.

"Are you telling me that you think you're in love with this girl you've been seeing, Edward?" she asked quietly, a hopeful edge to her voice.

"I'm not _telling _you anything, Mom...I'm _asking _you if you think it's possible."

"Well, of course it's possible. _Anything _is possible," she responded firmly. "You know your father always says he fell in love with me the moment he laid eyes on me and while I'm certain he's exaggerating a little, you get the idea, right? I mean, honestly, the entire concept of 'love' is very subjective but I'm a firm believer in the theory that when you know, you know. Time isn't a factor if you're confident in what you're feeling for her. Are you?"

"I don't know, all I can tell you is I have never felt like this before about anyone. And I swear to God, the feeling was almost instant."

"All I can tell you is this...you are a wonderful judge of character, Edward, you always have been. Even when you were younger your father and I rarely had to worry about the decisions you made for yourself when it came to the friends you spent time with or the girls you dated. So, if you think you love this girl, I'd venture to guess you probably do. And if you do, indeed love her, she's probably one hell of a girl."

She paused for a second, letting it all sink in. I walked over to my closet and grabbed my white and black Nikes, walking over to the black leather bench at the foot of my bed and plopping down on it as I thought over what my mother had just said. Was she right? If she was, then I wasn't as crazy as I thought I was for feeling so much for Bella in such a short time. And if that was the case, then it was entirely possible that Bella could be feeling the same way as I was. Wasn't it?

My internal debate continued as I tied my shoes, not realizing how lost I was in my thoughts until I heard my mother speak once again. "Did anything I said help you at all or did you fall asleep from boredom over there? I mean, I know you're still alive because I can hear you breathing, but other than that, I think I might have lost you."

"Oh shit, sorry," I said with a chuckle. "Yes, you did help me, Mom, more than you know."

"Good. I'm glad I haven't lost my touch," she responded unceremoniously. "I have one last thought for you and then I'll get off my soapbox. I know it's easier said than done, sweetheart, but if allow yourself the freedom to think with your heart and not your head I'm positive it won't lead you astray. You're a good man and you have a good head on your shoulders. I have no doubt that you know what you're feeling...even if you're too scared to admit it to anyone other than yourself right now. Give it some time - stew on it a little, per se - and when the time is right, you'll know. Trust me."

I did trust her. Completely.

"Thanks. I appreciate the faith you and Dad always seem to have in me - even when I don't seem to have it in myself."

"We're wise, my dear. I have no other explanation for it," she said with a giggle, attempting to lighten my mood. "Your father says it comes with age, which is why we both know he's just a _little _bit wiser than I am...old fart." I could imagine my mom winking as she did every time she made that last statement, razzing my father about the fact that he was a whole year older than she was. It dawned on me that he must have finished breakfast and brought it to her in bed, which was my cue to get the fuck off the phone and get moving before I heard shit no one should ever have to hear transpire between his parents.

"Tell Dad I said 'hi'."

"I will, right after we have...breakfast."

I groaned. "You're killing me here, Mom. I'm going to let you go before I'm scarred for life, okay? I'm having lunch with Bella and her mother in less than an hour so I need to get moving, anyway. Thanks for listening; you really made me feel better about, well, everything."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart. Good luck today, although I doubt you'll need it. Let me know how it goes, okay?"

I agreed and we said our goodbyes. I slid my phone into the pocket of my jeans and walked over to the dresser to grab my black Wayfarers and made my way to the kitchen to survey the damage Jasper had left in his wake. My stomach was full of butterflies which made me feel like a huge pussy, but I kept hearing my mom's words in a constant loop in my mind which seemed to ease my trepidation. Jasper was sitting on a stool at the island, a full plate in front of him and a self satisfied smirk on his face.

"Ha _ha _motherfucker, it's _clean!" _he proclaimed proudly, making it a point to pat himself on the back for a job well done. _Dumbass._

I chuckled as I grabbed the glass of orange juice he had just poured for himself and downed it before he had a chance to. Jasper grumbled, shoving his stool back so he could walk over to the cabinet to get himself another glass.

"Where's the eyefucker?" I asked him, with a smirk. Jasper hated when I called her that, even though he knew I did it in a joking manner and heard the same shit - if not much worse - come out of her mouth in regard to me.

"She didn't stay," he answered me with a shrug.

"Really? The way you two were all over each other last night, I was sure she'd be sitting out here with you this morning. Sorry, man."

"What are you sorry for? You're not getting any, either. Besides," he said, raising his eyebrows, "don't pity me...pity my hand. No, wait! Pity my wrist. I'm afraid I'm gonna end up with carpal tunnel if something doesn't happen soon."

I groaned and shivered dramatically at Jasper's incessant need to over share. "Dude, you're a dick. Like I really wanted to hear that shit. Between you and my mother this morning, I swear to God I feel like I need another shower."

"Ha! Were Esme and Carlisle getting it on this morning? Breakfast in bed? Sunrise surprise?" He waggled his eyebrows at me and it took everything I had not to punch him for taking my disgust one step further.

"Shut the fuck up, asshole! You do realize those are my parents you're talking about, right?"

"Hey, just because we're not getting any doesn't mean Carlisle isn't. I've seen your family pictures and your father is a good looking guy and your mom, well, she's fucking hot. If I was Carlisle, I'd take every opportunity I had to hit that. It's a beautiful thing, man, that's all I'm saying."

"Jesus _Christ, _there is something seriously wrong with you, Whitlock," I said, shaking my head and chuckling. "You are truly a sick individual. Has anyone ever told you that?"

He patted me on the back with a huge shit eating grin across his face. "It took your mind off of lunch with Bella's mom, didn't it?" I looked at him and nodded, hesitantly. I didn't know how he did it, but Jasper always seemed to be able to find a way to manipulate people's emotions when necessary, and it was obvious I was no exception to the rule. Bella and I had thought he just had a way with Alice, but it was apparent that his "talent" was universal. _Dickmatized my _ass. _Wait, did I just use the words 'dick' and 'my ass' in the same sentence? So much for not wanting to be scarred for life... Jesus Christ, I need a nap._

"On that note," I said, "I better get going. Hopefully I won't be shuddering periodically through lunch as I remember this conversation." I walked to the sink, rinsing my glass out and putting it in the dishwasher before heading toward the garage.

"Good luck, man," I heard Jasper call out as I pushed the button to open the garage door. I got in my Volvo, slipping my sunglasses on my face and pulling out into the driveway. I was relieved that the weather had eased up quite a bit since the beginning of November and with December looming so close by, I began to really enjoy the desert climate. To me, the temperature was perfect - I was still able to wear short sleeves without needing a jacket - while the natives considered it 'chilly' and wore light jackets or sweaters more often than not. Bella reminded me repeatedly that this would probably be the last fall and winter that I'd actually feel this way, as my blood would thin out over time after enduring months of days that were over a hundred degrees.

Keeping that in mind, I opened the sun roof and pushed the button to open my window as well, determined to take it all in and enjoy it while I could. Besides, the mixture of the crisp breeze which was offset by the warm, autumn sun helped me forget the feeling of impending doom that had been weighing on me since Thanksgiving. I felt like I was walking into this lunch blindly, not sure what Mrs. Swan's intentions were, and everything about that scenario made me nervous. And it didn't help to assuage my worries when Bella hadn't even had much information to offer me other than the short conversation that had transpired between them on Thanksgiving.

I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath as I pulled into the parking lot of Chili's, wondering if I should have worn my bullet proof vest under my T-shirt. I parked by the backside of the building, closing everything up before adjusting the rearview mirror so I could fuck with my hair a little. I knew it wasn't going to do anything productive, but it made me feel better to at least _try _to make it cooperate, so I did it none-the-less. After I was satisfied with the utter disarray on top of my head, I cut the engine and pulled out the key, absentmindedly reaching for the door handle. Before I could grab hold of it, I was startled by a loud rap on my window but when I looked up and was met by the brown eyes I now knew I loved, all of the anxiety I had been feeling disappeared and a smile crept over my face.

Bella gazed back at me through the window, giving me a shy wave as she bit on her lip and motioned her head in an effort to get me out of the car. She stepped back as I began to open the door, her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling. In that moment, I began to wonder if my feelings for her were reciprocated, even though I was still too chicken shit to find out.

I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me, my eyes scanning her body from head to toe. She had on a simple white tank top and jeans, with a lightweight, form-fitting gray cardigan sweater covering her arms as her loose, caramel colored waves blew in the crisp fall breeze. She was breathtaking.

"Hi," I said, resting my hands on her hips and pulling her closer to me.

"Hi," she responded, biting her lip again and trailing her fingers up my bare arms in a manner that seemed so innocent, yet utterly hot all at the same time.

I leaned forward and kissed her, letting my hands slide under her sweater and cup her firm, denim clad ass cheeks. Before I could pull her hips closer to me and find the friction my dick was aching for, Bella pushed my back up against the Volvo with the weight of her body, forcing my legs apart so she could fit herself between them. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss as she put her hands on either side of my face and kissed me back with renewed passion. Our bodies were connected in every possible place, our desire growing with each sweep of our tongues.

I knew we needed to stop before her mother showed up and caught us making out like a couple of teenagers, but I just couldn't bring myself to break our connection. And when I felt her hands leave my face followed by her fingers threading themselves into my hair, I knew she wasn't ready to, either. I wrapped my arms around her, encircling her tiny waist and letting out a groan as I felt her push her pelvis against mine and I fought the overwhelming desire I had to grind on her like a dog in heat.

Just when I thought I could no longer resist my animal urges that were fueling me to maul her in a very public, inconspicuous place, I heard a voice that made my heart plummet in my chest. "Well, if this doesn't confirm my suspicions, nothing will," Mrs. Swan said with a snicker. Bella immediately pulled away from me, covering her mouth and blushing furiously. "I'm not _that _late, am I?"

I looked past Bella and saw her mother standing a few feet away, one hand on the hips of her dark jeans as the other one straightened the belt that sat loosely around the waist of her oversized white blouse. It amazed me how similar she and her daughter were -- both were dressed rather casually but had a beauty that was unparalleled by so many others.

Bella groaned, shaking her head at her mother. "Wow, Mom, it's no wonder that subtle is _not_ your middle name."

"Says the grown women who's practically dry humping her secret boyfriend in the middle of Chili's parking lot," her mother responded with a wink.

"Touché, Mommie Dearest. Touché."

"Now, can you two pull yourselves away from each other long enough to have a bite to eat and a little chat?" she asked, not waiting for our responses before turning on her heels and heading for the door, looking over her shoulder at us to add, "I'll meet you inside."

I dropped my hands from Bella's waist, letting her back away from me as she extended her hand to me. I smirked at her, taking hold of her hand and kissing the top of it playfully, raising an eyebrow when I caught her eyes and felt the intensity of her stare.

"You better get the dirty out of your eyes before my mom sees it, McSmirky," Bella said suggestively, lacing her fingers through mine and pulling me toward the door to the restaurant where her mother had just entered ahead of us.

"McSmirky?" I asked, with a chuckle. "Bella, this isn't Grey's Anatomy."

"Too bad," she said with a sly smile. "I was really looking forward to playing 'Doctor' with you." I groaned at her innuendo, willing myself not to throw her over my shoulder and take her to my house so I could take her up on her offer.  
_  
Note to self: Find a fucking stethoscope, stat._


	10. Heads Up

**A/N: Ok, so I'm not going to make any excuses anymore b/c something tells me you're probably sick of hearing them – my life is crazy and I don't update as much as I'd like to. I don't forsee that changing any time in the near future. But, what I CAN promise is that I'll write this story until it's done and I'll update it as often as I possibly can. :o)**

**Huge thanks goes to ilsuocantante for patiently beta'ing out all my crazy commas this chapter – they were REALLY bad. LOL In addition, I appreciate the lovely Kharizzmatik for always putting up with my self-deprecation and encouraging me with her undying positivity.**

**Last but certainly not least, I want to thank each and every one of you who have read, added this story to your alerts, favorited, reviewed – you guys keep me going and I love you more than you know!**

**fngrcfs – there's a little something in here for you. I gave you what you asked for…kinda. ;o)**

**Stephenie Meyer's owns everything Twilight - but we all know Copward and Snarkella are mine to do with as I please. ;)**

* * *

**BPOV**

Sunday morning began like most other Sunday mornings. I woke up around nine to the sound of Alice screeching like a cat in heat as she sang along to the music she had blasting while working out on the elliptical which was in the room right next to mine. While I absolutely hated mornings and I should have been irritated by her complete lack of consideration for the fact that I had been sleeping - and having an afuckingmazing dream about a certain police recruit in full uniform using his handcuffs on me, by the way - I couldn't help but laugh at the sounds coming from the small creature I lived with. It was obnoxious and ungodly, but it was _so _Alice and no matter how much she irritated me, she rarely failed to make me smile.

I rolled over and sighed, thinking about the day I had ahead of me. Lunch with my mother. And Edward. I wasn't sure if I should be happy that she had figured out what was going on between Edward and me or scared because she was extremely insistent that I let my father in on our little secret. Part of me wanted to tell him. Honestly, most of me wanted to tell him, but I was afraid that letting the Chief know I was dating one of his recruits would only serve to backfire on us - and Edward would be the one paying the price at my brother's hand.

Things were really beginning to get complicated and I had no idea what I was supposed to do, or even what the _right_ thing to do actually was. I was torn between my family and the man I could potentially love and the biggest problem was that I wasn't even sure it was necessary. I was relatively certain my father wouldn't be as upset as Emmett. Well, at least not about the fact that Edward and I were together...but probably about the fact that I kept it from him.

I fucking hated to disappoint my father, but could I tell him and risk Emmett finding out? I had no idea. And I wasn't sure if it was worth the risk at this point because one thing I had absolutely no doubt about was that Edward meant more to me than I would allow myself to admit. _What a fucking mess. If I could physically accomplish it, I'd kick my own ass right about now._

In a perfect world, Edward and I would be like Alice and Jasper and we'd be able to date each other without anyone giving a shit. But I wasn't Alice. _Thank God for that_. _Oops...what was I saying? Oh right... _ And Edward definitely wasn't Jasper. And we certainly did _not _live in a perfect world. So I was stuck in my self-inflicted Hell as I struggled to figure a way out that wouldn't end in disaster.

As I lay there wallowing in the peril of my ridiculous situation, my Blackberry chimed, alerting me of a text message. My heart skipped a beat in anticipation as I reached for my phone, hurrying to unplug it from the charger so I could see what was waiting for me. I felt the crazy Edward-induced butterflies that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in my stomach as soon as I saw his name on the screen, followed by a calm that reminded me how perfect this man really was for me. Here I was stressing out about our relationship and hearing from him was the only thing that could allay my fears. It was as if he somehow _knew_...

**Good morning, Beautiful. -PRFME**  
_Yep, my ovaries just swooned. _

**Hey you...I was just laying in bed thinking of you. ;) -B**  
_Yeah, I'm a tease._

**Are you trying to kill me? You're laying in bed thinking of me? What were you thinking? lol -PRFME**  
_Oh that's a conversation we'll be saving for another day..._

***blushes* -B**  
_Wait, I'm not a tease if I have every intention of following through, right? And following through soon. Please God, let it be soon._

**OMG, you ARE trying to kill me. -PRFME**  
_Death by blue balls? Is that possible? Nevermind...I don't want to find out._

**Let's just say I wasn't thinking about your...eyes, PRFME. ;) -B**  
_Clever Bella, so clever. Facepalm._

**Oh yeah? Anything you want to share? -PRFME**  
_I'm pretty sure my lady bits are ready to share quite a bit with your, ahem...nightstick. Wow, even I cringed at that horrid innuendo._

**Nope. I'd rather show you. Maybe someday... - B**  
_Yeah, I'm pretty sure I just heard Alice gasp and call me a slut in her little sing-song voice._

**Maybe?! Someday?! -PRFME **  
_Fuck off, Alice, I don't see FuckMeEyes complaining. Oh my God, not only am I arguing with the voice in my head, but I'm actually proving its point. And right about now, I'm not sure which is worse - that I'm crazy and hearing voices in my head or that I'm agreeing with it and, in effect, calling myself slutty? _

**See ya later, PRFME. ;) -B**  
_And I have a feeling it will be more than just my ovaries swooning when I do._

I set my phone down on the nightstand and lay there for a second, basking in my PRFME induced perma-grin and wondering how I had gotten so lucky. Not long ago, I would have mercilessly mocked anyone who swooned like a fucking idiot with stars in her eyes over some guy. And here I was, doing the one thing I swore to God I would never do. _I may as well practice signing my future married name in formal script on pretty, pink stationary...Isabella Marie Cullen with a little heart over the 'i' at the rate I'm going. Oh my God, I'm pathetic._

It dawned on me a few minutes later, as I slowly began to regain consciousness from my adolescent daydreaming about the cute boy who made me swoon, that it was entirely too quiet in the room next to me. I couldn't hear the swoosh of the elliptical anymore, the music was off and the screeching cat was silent. I braced myself because, like I said earlier, it was a Sunday like so many before it and without a doubt, she was standing outside of my door, ready to pounce.

"Wake up, my little Bellarina!" she said, throwing my bedroom door open so she could fly in and flop down next to me on the bed. _As if I'm not awake already, loud ass._

I groaned, knowing how disgusting she always was after she worked out. "Fucking gross, Alice," I said, pushing her away. "You're all stinky and sweaty. Get off my bed!"

She cackled loudly and catapulted herself on top of me, effectively placing my head in her armpit. "I don't sweat, bitch, I _glisten_."

I shrieked as I tried to wrestle myself out from under her but she had me pinned down with her freakishly strong arms and I knew there was no way I was going to escape her by force alone. "Emmett!" I screeched, hoping to God my brother was home and could hear me. It was a pussy move, but I didn't have time to bribe her to relent, as she was way too stubborn to do so quickly.

"Are you _kidding_ me? Are you actually calling your big, tough brother to defend you? Who are you? I feel like I don't even know you anymore!" Alice choked out between laughs. "Even your boyfriend isn't _that _much of a pussy!"

Before I could respond, Alice's entire body went limp on top of me and she began to howl as she scrambled to roll off of me. I looked up to see my brother leaning over us, tickling Alice mercilessly with a shit eating grin on his face as I struggled to defend myself from her flying appendages.

"What's wrong, Shortcake?" he teased. "It sucks when you're not the one with the upper hand, doesn't it?"

Alice giggled, finally managing to roll over onto her back as Emmett continued to poke her ribs. "Stop!" Alice managed to gasp as she thrashed from side to side, trying to slap my brother's hands away and block herself from his attack at the same time. "I. Can't. Breathe."

"If you can talk, you can breathe," Emmett responded with a taunting grin but hesitated for a moment, allowing her to catch her breath a bit as he eyed both of us suspiciously. "Besides, something tells me this is the most opportune time to get some information out of you."

I narrowed my eyes at him as Alice gulped, obviously aware of what Emmett was talking about while I was still completely in the dark. I had no idea what he was up to, but by the look of dread on Alice's face, I knew it wasn't good.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alice said, averting her eyes in an attempt to feign ignorance. Even I knew that wouldn't work with Emmett. He was a cop, he knew all the commonly used tactics to avoid confession, and as we all knew, Alice sucked at keeping anything from anyone. Except for my relationship with Edward. She had actually succeeded in keeping that a secret for almost two months now, and to say I was shocked would have been a gross understatement.

And that's when my heart stopped in my chest. _What the hell did she just say before he walked in here? Oh. My. God. She said something about my _boyfriend..._I am _so _screwed and I haven't even technically gotten screwed yet! Good Lord, now is not the time to be thinking about that, Bella...focus!_

"So," he said, looking from Alice to me and then back at Alice very pointedly. "Who's gonna spill it?"

"Spill what, Emmett?" I asked, trying to sound annoyed rather than ready to shit myself, which, by the way, I was.

"Well, Stinkerbell, from the look on your face, you know _exactly _what I'm talking about, but let me clarify things for you just in case." He continued to hold Alice down as he spoke even though she lay deathly still on the bed, eyes wide open and white as a ghost. "One of you is going to tell me what Shortcake here meant when she said something about your _boyfriend _being a pussy. I swear to God, she better not be referring to that douchebag you said you broke up with."

I sat up in bed, crossing my arms and glaring at Alice as my heart raced. I was nervous, so nervous that my entire body started to perspire in fear. My mind was spinning, trying to figure out a way to cover my tracks, but the fact of the matter was I seriously sucked at lying. I was trying so hard to figure out what to say that I wouldn't have been surprised if my brain was sweating like Alice on the elliptical from all the work. I knew I had to come up with something and _fast_ or Emmett was going to keep digging - like I said, he was a cop and it was his nature. _Not to mention he's an overgrown child who is so relentless in his need to protect me that he'd protect me from my own fucking shadow if he could._

Unfortunately, Emmett meant business and as I tried to think of something that would suffice as an explanation to Alice's most recent spewing of word vomit, he figured she would be easier to crack than me. And while it was no secret to anyone that Alice was ticklish, Rosalie had obviously informed him of her sister's weak spot behind the knees because, without hesitation, he went in for the kill.

I watched in horror as Alice writhed around, gasping for air and begging Emmett to stop. I knew she was going to break if I didn't figure out a way to get him to back off, but I had no idea how to make that happen and I could tell by the look on her face that I didn't have much time before she gave us up. So, acting on pure instinct, I stood up on my bed and leaped onto my brother's back while he was bent over Alice, catching myself - and him - completely off guard. _Thank God I'm wearing pajama pants or this would be even more awkward and weird than it already is. Um...yeah...I just cringed._

"What the _fuck_, Stinkerbell?" Emmett asked, standing up straight as I clung to his huge frame for dear life, wrapping my arms and legs around him as best I could. Realizing it was her only chance to escape, Alice popped up, placing her feet on the floor and jumping to a standing position, running out of the room before Emmett could catch her.

She stood in the doorway, still struggling to catch her breath and giggling at the sight of me hanging off my brother's back like a fucking spider monkey.

"How I wish I had a camera right now," she said in amusement, crossing her arms in satisfaction under the assumption that she was safe. And while she may have been safe from Emmett, she was going to suffer my wrath for this fuck up, as I still had to clean up the mess she had made with her big mouth. I knew it was an honest mistake and I couldn't really fault her for it, but the least she could have done was covered her tracks instead of leaving it up to me.

"Listen, I don't know what the fuck is going on with the two of you," Emmett said, prying my hands and legs off of him and dropping me onto the bed, "but don't you think you're getting a little old for the whole Laverne and Shirley bit? I mean, seriously, did you just jump on my damn back?" He spun around to look at me, trying to contain his laughter at the sheer absurdity of the entire situation.

"Don't you dare look at me like that and get all 'judgy' on me, brother dear, were you or were you not just using tickle torture to interrogate your suspect? Does that work on the street?"

Emmett shook his head, rubbing his face and trying to look stern but failing miserably. I leaned to the side a little to look behind him and saw what I expected to see, Alice had left me to talk my way out of this on my own. _Yeah, she's definitely the 'Laverne' in our relationship...always leaving it up to 'Shirley' to clean up her mess. I wonder if Emmett would buy it if I told him my new boyfriend's name is 'Carmine' over a nice cold glass of milk and Pepsi? I watch entirely too much TV._

"Stop trying to change the subject, it's not gonna work. I want to know what Shortcake was talking about and I want to know _now, _Isabella. Dad and I have been doing everything we can to ensure your safety from that dickhead, and I swear to God if you're seeing him again I'm going to wring your neck myself."

I narrowed my eyes at him and sighed. He had used my full name which he only did when he meant business. So, even though I didn't want to, I knew there was absolutely no way I was going to escape him without some semblance of an explanation. He towered over me with his massive arms crossed over his chest, waiting for _something _and before his enormous head exploded from his irrational thoughts, I decided to man up and give him what he wanted.

Well, sort of...

"Settle down, Ginormo," I said sternly, "you look like you're about to have a brain aneurysm and Rosalie would kill me dead if she lost Little Emmett's services and I refuse to die by the hand of a sex crazed blonde. To answer your question, _no_ I'm not seeing Jacob. For fuck's sake, I haven't spoken to him voluntarily in weeks. And if you weren't so goddamn overprotective, I might actually be willing to tell you more, but for now, that's all you're getting." 

_"_First of all, Stinkerbell, let me just state for the record that _nothing _about me is little," he said with a smirk as something inside of me died from disgust. "And second, I am _not _overprotective - I'm a cop and you're my little sister, which gives me the right to watch out for you, like it or not. So, if you don't want to tell me the truth, so be it...I'll just have to figure out what you're up to on my own."

"Fine," I said, looking him straight in the eyes and trying to sound a lot more certain than I actually was.

"Fine." He backed away from the bed with a pointed look, allowing me room to stand up. I smoothed down my pajamas and walked past him into my closet without looking back for fear that I'd break down and tell him everything. As annoying as he could be, I still felt guilty for lying to him - or only giving him half truths - and while he had relented this time, I knew his resolve was strong and he wouldn't completely give up until he found out what he wanted to know. It was his nature, just like he had said, and truth be told, I couldn't really blame him for it.

"Have a good time at lunch. Tell Mom I said 'Hi' and I'll call her later, ok?"

"I will," I called back to him, pulling out a pair of jeans and a white tank top to wear. I knew it would be cool in Chili's because it always was, so I grabbed a lightweight gray cardigan and headed to my bathroom. I had no idea what was in store for Edward and me and my stomach was churning in anticipation as I showered and got ready to face my mother.

As I slipped my shoes on and grabbed my purse, heading out the door to my Mercedes, I remembered thinking that the day had started as most Sundays before it and laughed nervously to myself. _ Yeah, so much for that, Bella. Take a deep breath and grow a set. Here goes nothing. _

* * *

After practically molesting Edward in the parking lot of Chili's, not to mention being caught by my mother while doing so, I begrudgingly offered him my hand and led him to what very well could have been the beginning of the end for us. He kissed the top of my hand, smirking and raising an eyebrow when he saw how I was staring at him and practically salivating at how good he looked. And smelled. Police Recruit FuckMeEyes _always _smelled good. _If I don't stop thinking about how good he smells and how fucking hot he looks, my mom may be waiting a really long time for us...and I may end up arrested for indecent exposure in a Chili's parking lot. Now wouldn't _that _be a great way for the Police Chief to find out his daughter is dating a recruit? Yeah, probably not..._

"You better get the dirty out of your eyes before my mom sees it, McSmirky," I said suggestively as I forced myself to focus. I laced my fingers through his and pulled him toward the door to the restaurant where I knew my mom was waiting for us.

"McSmirky?" he chuckled, following closely behind me. "Bella, this isn't Grey's Anatomy."

"Too bad. I was really looking forward to playing 'Doctor' with you." He groaned and I laughed, fully aware of what I was doing to him with my very obvious innuendo.

As we reached the door, Edward leaned forward and pulled it open with his free hand, motioning for me to walk through before him. Before I could, however, he pulled me toward him and kissed my forehead tenderly with a soft, reassuring squeeze to the hand he was holding in his. He must have sensed my apprehension and it was obvious that while he was nervous too, he wasn't going to let it get the best of him.

In the past that kind of gesture would have made me squirm, but today it was exactly what it was supposed to be...comforting.

"Hey," he said, letting go of my hand and tipping up my chin so he could look me in the eyes. "No matter what happens today, Bella, we're gonna be okay, so stop worrying. I knew what I was getting into before I asked Angela for your number. I'm not worried.

Do I want your family to like me? Of course I do. But, what's most important is that _you _like me. And as long as you do, you're stuck with me. The rest will work itself out, okay?" He leaned forward and gently kissed my lips before reaching around and swatting me on the ass to encourage me to walk forward through the door he was still holding open._ Who am I kidding? McSmirky is McDreamy with definite potential to be McSteamy in the very near future. Like I said, I watch entirely too much TV...it might be time for a fucking hobby._

Once inside, I spotted Renee standing with the hostess who was gathering three menus in her arms and getting ready to lead her to our table. "Is this the rest of your party?" she asked my mom with a smile, motioning toward us.

My mom slid her sunglasses off her face and up into her hair as she turned to look at us, seemingly amazed that we were joining her so quickly. "Well, would you look at that," she said with a wink, "it seems my daughter has more self-control than I gave her credit for."

She reached for me, pulling me into a quick hug before releasing me so she could do the same to Edward. I watched as Edward leaned forward and wrapped his arm around my mother, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek before embracing her in greeting. "It's good to see you again, Mrs. Swan."

My mom patted him on the back and groaned. "It's great to see you again too, Edward, but _p__lease_ call me Renee. Mrs. Swan makes me feel old and stuffy and God knows I'm neither of those things." They both laughed as my mom ran her hands down the front of her white blouse to smooth out the wrinkles and turned her attention back to the hostess who was patiently waiting to seat us.

Edward and I walked to the table hand-in-hand and I had to admit, it felt amazing to be able to be in public without fear that someone was going to see us. I knew now that my mom was aware that we were dating it was only a matter of time before my dad knew, and once he was in the loop there was no telling how long he'd be able to keep it from Emmett - or if he'd even be willing to do so at all. But, in that moment, I decided I wasn't going to let the fear of the unknown get to me. Edward had said it would all be okay and, for the first time in my life, I didn't question whether or not it was true, I just believed it.

I believed _him._

We slid into the booth, Renee sitting across from Edward and me, as we all sat quietly and studied our menus like our lives depended on it. Our waitress came and took our drink orders, breaking the awkward silence between us. Once she brought us our drinks and took our lunch order, my mom cleared her throat and decided it was time to fill us in on what she was up to.

"So," she said, looking very pointedly at both of us, "one thing I pride myself on is the fact that I'm a pretty straight shooter, and as you get to know me better, Edward - which my instincts, as well as the adoration on my daughter's face every time she looks at you both tell me is a relative certainty - you'll see that for yourself. So, rather than beat around the bush and struggle through an uncomfortable lunch, I'm going to lay my cards out on the table and let you both know why I asked you here today. And then, hopefully, we can get to know each other better and actually _enjoy_ our meal. Sound good?"

"Like mother, like daughter," Edward responded with a nervous chuckle, looking between Renee and me as if to gauge our reactions.

I smacked him playfully but didn't argue because he was right. Being part of the Swan family meant being direct, as both of my parents held honesty in the highest regard and Emmett and I were raised to do the same. We both tended to surround ourselves with people who were the same way and when someone wasn't, it was rare that a relationship with them would last. In fact, it was that precise reason that things had been so rocky between Jake and me - besides his temper, of course. Jake was never one to actually _say_ what he meant. He would whine and brood and expect me to know why, which did nothing but irritate the shit out of me on a regular basis. A mind reader, I was not...I left that nonsense up to Alice and her proverbial crystal ball, since she always seemed to know things before the rest of us.

"Trust me, I'm actually more like my dad than my mom...You'll see," I said almost as an afterthought, regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth. I was certain Edward would eventually get to know my family well, but it almost felt like I was rubbing salt in a wound when I pointed out that he wasn't yet able to do so. _Wow, I'm sure Dad would be happy that the stupid child in the family is comparing herself to him. Way to go, dumbass, your brilliance is astounding._

"It's funny that you brought that up, Bella, because your father is exactly what I wanted to talk to you both about," Renee said with a smile, drumming her fingers on the table in front of her.

And for the second time that day, my stomach dropped because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what was coming next.

"Mom," I said in irritation, narrowing my eyes at her. "I know what you're getting at and we already discussed this. I told you where I stand on Thanksgiving and I haven't changed my mind."

"Whether or not you've changed your mind doesn't really matter, Bella, because if you don't do it, I will. You should know me better than to expect that I wouldn't."

"I can't tell him, Mom. Not yet, at least. And you know my reasons, so why are you freaking arguing with me about it?" Edward slipped his arm around me and rubbed his hand up and down my arm deliberately, as if to remind me he was there. I sighed, shaking my head. I just didn't understand why she insisted on talking about this in front of him, and the fact that she seemed to think it was a good idea pissed me off to no end.

"Why don't we ask Edward?" my mother suggested, raising her eyebrows as if to challenge me.

"Ask me what?" Edward responded, looking from me to my mom and back to me again. "I'm not sure what you two are talking about, but I'd love it if someone would fill me in here." He let out another tense chuckle, running his free hand through his hair apprehensively as my mom stuck her tongue out at me like a petulant child. I felt awful because no matter how much he tried not to show it, I knew he was walking uncharted territory and he had no idea what to expect.

"Listen, Edward," she started, looking at him and smiling warmly, "like I told you before, I tend to be a straight shooter. I don't like to lie and I can't stand it when people lie to me - I guess being married to a cop for all these years has rubbed off on me. Anyway, now that I know what's going on with you two, I'm sure you can imagine that keeping it from my husband really isn't something I'm willing to do and I've been hoping that I could talk my daughter into telling her father so that I didn't have to."

She looked at me pointedly before continuing. "I honestly think he'd take it _much _better than you think...especially if it comes from you and not me."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, sighing loudly in frustration. She had plead her case and made some very good points. And, honestly, I knew she was right, even though I really didn't want to admit it. But, I still worried for Edward if my father decided that he, in turn, couldn't keep the information from Emmett. After all, was it fair to expect my father not to tell my brother when my mother refused to keep it from my father? _Holy crap, Bella, did you even understand that? It's seriously amazing that you're able to hold a coherent conversation these days with the major brain malfunction that seems to occur every time you're around FuckMeEyes. Get your shit together for crying out loud._

"I agree," Edward said firmly with a shrug.

"You _agree_?" I asked, pulling away so I could turn and look at him in astonishment. "Just like that, you _agree_?"

"Yep. Just like that," he said with a smile. "The last thing I want to do is come between you and your dad, Bella. I'm a big boy, I'll be okay."

"I really don't think you realize what you're agreeing to, Edward. If my father knows about us, chances are my brother is going to as well...and that is _exactly_ what I've been working so hard to avoid for the last two months. No. Absolutely not. Not until you're done in the academy." I crossed my arms and shook my head stubbornly as if that was the end of the conversation.

I should have known better.

"I hate to break it to you, kiddo, but you don't have a choice," Renee said very matter-of-factly in response. "I'm putting my foot down and I'm telling you that one way or the other, your father is going to find out. Now, not later. And Edward seems to agree with me. So, the only decision you have to make is whether you're going to be a big girl and do it yourself or if you're going to make me do your dirty work for you. Period."

"And if he tells Emmett?"

"He won't."

"How do you know he won't?"

"Because I've been married to the man for almost thirty years, Bella, I think I know him pretty well. He's a smart man and he loves you, he'll understand your reasons and while he may not like it, he _will _respect your wishes. You just have to have some faith in him. Do you have any idea how hurt and disappointed he'd be if you don't tell him and he figures it out on his own?"

I cringed as the words left her mouth. _Damn her. _ I should have known she'd play dirty and pull out all the stops to get me to give in. She was _so_ fucking sneaky, that mother of mine, she knew my weak spot and she went right for it. Everything inside of me wanted to fight this, but I knew I couldn't justify hurting my dad that way...especially if Edward was willing to put himself out there and take the risk for me. Besides, I knew my mom was right. My dad deserved the truth and he'd never given me any reason to believe I couldn't trust him - he'd even been supportive and rational in regard to the ridiculous mess with Jacob. _Jesus Christ, she's right. Man, I fucking hate it when she's right. And no matter what, I'm not actually _admitting _to her that she's right. Hell. No. So, I'm a bitch...at least I own it._

"Okay, fine," I relented, "you get your way, I'll tell him." Renee smiled at me in satisfaction and I rolled my eyes. _Dear Mom, I love you but you are a smug bitch when you get your way. Love, Me. P.S. Wipe the smirk off your face before I change my mind._ "But I'm not doing it alone."

Before she could say anything, the waitress came back to take our order. As soon as I heard Edward order the ribs, I knew this lunch was going to become insurmountably more painful for me than I had ever expected. Edward. Ribs. That beautiful, talented tongue licking his long, beautiful - and what I hoped to soon find out were equally talented - fingers with my mom right there, across the table from us. _And he says _I'm_ trying to kill _him_? _

"Are you okay, Bella?" Renee's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I heard Edward chuckle under his breath. Somehow, he knew exactly where my mind had been and I prayed to God that my mother hadn't figured it out.

"Uh, yeah," I said, shaking my head. "I was...uh...just trying to figure out how I'm going to tell Dad." _Oh, Bella, you are a lying liar who lies. And by the way, you suck at it. Even Edward knows you're full of shit._

"I actually already thought of something. If you two will excuse me, I left my cell in the car to charge so I'm going to run out there and make a quick phone call before we eat and see if I can arrange it. I'll be right back."

We both nodded in agreement as Edward's hand found its way to my leg under the table. He squeezed my knee before sliding it up my leg, leaving a trail of fire in its wake as he inched higher and higher up my thigh. I knew he wouldn't _dare_ to go there in public, but I'd be lying if I didn't briefly pray I was wrong. Just when he was dangerously close to the promised land, he lifted his hand off my leg and gently brushed my hair off my shoulder, his hand resting at the nape of my neck.

My breathing was shallow as I sat frozen in spot and awaited his next move, knowing he was getting enjoyment out of teasing me mercilessly with my mother not too far away. While I should have been annoyed at his teasing, everything about his touch made me want more no matter how pleasurably painful it was, because I knew it would only go so far. He turned his head, leaning closer to me so he could whisper in my ear, his minty breath cool against my skin. "Hmmm..." he said, rubbing slow circles on the back of my neck and making goosebumps form on my skin. "Who's got the dirty in her eyes now, Bella?" _Crap, karma really is a bitch, isn't it?_

I closed my eyes, feeling drunk from his touch and his close proximity, but recognizing the fact that I needed to pull myself together before my mom came back and saw me drooling like a teething baby. He quickly placed a warm, open-mouthed kiss right below my ear before pulling away and settling back in his seat as if nothing had happened. I pulled back again so I could look at him, my mouth gaping open at how swiftly he could turn on the charm and then the next minute, act so innocent he almost had me convinced even though I knew better.

He sighed, drumming his fingers on the table in front of him as I fumed and may have been plotting his murder in my head. I caught him peeking at me out of the corner of his eye as we sat in silence. I fought off a giggle, but I refused to speak to him - I was mad at him for getting me all hot and bothered and I was punishing him. Or was I punishing myself? I was so confused by his ability to get me flustered that even I didn't know anymore.

My mom returned a few moments later, phone still up to her ear and a smile on her face. "Hold on, honey, I'll ask them," she said, covering the mouthpiece on the phone and looking at Edward and me. My heart started to race so fast I thought it was going to run up my throat and escape out of my mouth. Edward must have felt my body stiffen in apprehension because without warning, I felt his hand patting my knee reassuringly.

"Is that _Dad?!"_ I asked, anxiously, my voice a strained whisper as I fought to keep my heart in my chest. What the hell was she up to? She said she wanted _me _to tell him and I wasn't even close to prepared to tell him at that very moment. Was she _crazy_?

"You are so high strung, Bella," Renee said with a grimace, still covering the mouthpiece so my father wouldn't hear our exchange. "Yes, it's your father. I was talking to him about going out to Qué Bueno for dinner so you could introduce him to your boyfriend and I told him I'd check to see if you're both free on Saturday night - so, are you?"

I looked at Edward, still in shock that I was actually going to go through with it and take the first step toward making this whole thing a reality. He nodded at me with a smile that made me think that even though he might be nervous, he was almost...relieved? Maybe even..._happy_?

And instantly, I felt like shit.

The entire time I had been doing this for him, at least that's what I told myself and anyone else who would listen. But I started to wonder if while my motives weren't selfish, were my actions? Had I been hurting Edward's feelings while thinking I was just protecting him? Did he actually get the impression that I didn't _want _to tell my family?

I smiled back at him, knowing what I had to do as I met Renee's gaze and nodded. "Yep, we're free. Give Dad my love and tell him my _boyfriend _and I are looking forward to seeing him on Saturday."

As the words left my mouth, I slid my hand over Edward's and he flipped his hand over, intertwining our fingers. Leaning closer to him once again, I placed a chaste kiss on his jaw and he kissed the top of my head. Instantly, we were back in our bubble, comfortable and happy and not worried about what anyone else would think. This was how I always wanted it to be with him, and even though we weren't ready to tell _everyone _about our relationship, I knew telling my dad was a step in the right direction.

My mom finished her conversation with Charlie and we settled into a pleasant conversation over our lunch. Watching Edward with the ribs almost killed me, just as I had thought, but I enjoyed every minute of it even though I struggled to keep from licking the sauce off of his fingers myself on more than one occasion. Renee seemed even more charmed by him than she had been on Thanksgiving, and Edward was open and honest with her, his nervousness falling completely to the wayside by the time we were done eating.

Watching them together was almost surreal and really put things into perspective for me. For two years I had been in a relationship with someone who didn't even come close to measuring up to Edward, who treated me horribly and made me miserable. But like a dumbass, I didn't hesitate to introduce _him _to my family; I didn't hide my relationship with him, yet instead did my best to hide what a fucking jackass he was from them. And here I was involved with a man who meant more to me in two short months than any man I'd ever been with before and I was hiding him like a skeleton in my closet - something I was ashamed of.

Edward deserved better and I was determined to give it to him. To prove I was worthy of him. To show him how I truly felt about him. _Just as soon as I fucking figure it out, myself..._

* * *

**One more thing before you go: I'm trying to put together a playlist for my story and would love, love, love your suggestions. So, if you have any songs that make you think of Copward and Snarkella – or any of the other characters, etc., please let me know! I'd really appreciate it. :o)**


	11. Curl Up and Dye

**A/N: *waves***

**Soooooo…I don't know where to begin. It's been a lot longer than usual between posting and for that I apologize. I had a HORRIBLE case of writer's block and then when I finally felt like I could write, some shit went down in my personal life making it really difficult to find the time and the mindset to give my characters the attention they deserve.**

**I have seriously appreciated all the encouraging notes and reviews I've gotten since I last posted – I tried to respond to as many as I could. I seriously love you guys for sticking it out and being patient and for loving this story so passionately. You make me smile. :o)**

**I also need to thank kharizzmatik for helping me work through my struggles each and every day and for letting me bounce shit off her as I wrote and wearingwords for being a supportive beta and friend. They are both fuckawesome.**

**If you don't already follow me on Twitter, I'm hairart1116 on there. I use Twitter to let my readers know what's going on between updates, post teasers, etc. **

**Outfits are in my profile, as usual. :o)**

**Stephenie Meyers owns everything Twilight but Copward, Snarkella and the rest of them…even the asshat…belong to ME. LOL**

* * *

**EPOV**

It was the day I had been dreading for ten weeks. We had all known it was coming since day one when we'd received our schedules and were told what to expect in our 18 weeks of training. Even though we'd known there was no way to prepare for it - mentally _or _physically. It was just something that had loomed over us as we worked through our courses, each one bringing us closer and closer to this day. Honestly, I couldn't fucking understand the need for it, except as some kind of self-satisfying torture for the instructors to get off on while watching us struggle through our tears and pain. Okay, so maybe there was more to it than that, but being on the receiving end of the pepper spray sucked and I couldn't help but wonder if it was _really _necessary.

Unfortunately, whether it was necessary or not, we had no choice. We were all led in small groups into a tiny, confined space where our instructors thoroughly - and with much enjoyment, if you ask me - sprayed the shit out of us so that we could experience firsthand the effects of the O.C. spray. It was brutal. Like everyone around me, my eyes closed involuntarily and I struggled to breathe, my skin burning like it was on fire as they put us through test after test to make sure we were able to function _and _retain control of our weapons while suffering a pain that was like nothing I'd ever encountered before.

Once they had evaluated our reactions and excused us, we all took off toward the showers, eager to rinse the chemical off and relieved that the nightmare was finally over. Unfortunately for all of us, it had only just begun.

They had warned us that the water would make that pain intensify at first, but that it would eventually ease and we'd be able to open our eyes, breathe and relax once it began to rinse away. However, what they failed to fucking mention was that as the chemical washed from our eyes and traveled down our bodies, it would continue to burn on contact..._everywhere. _I felt it burning as it made its way down my neck, my shoulders, my chest and back, cringing at the realization that it would soon find its way to an area which was a hell of a lot more sensitive than anywhere it had touched so far. It was as if the water was moving in slow motion, taunting me as I held my breath in anticipation of the agony of the moment it came in contact with both my dick and my balls.

I braced myself as I felt the water slide down my abdomen, its pace seeming to increase as it crossed over my pelvic bone and gushed down between my legs.

"Holy fucking _shit!_" I groaned, doubling over in pain as the chemicals reached the area I had been dreading since the water first hit my skin. It was as if someone had doused my cock in gasoline, letting it run down onto my balls as they lit a match and set them both on fire - and I fully expected to catch a whiff of my burning flesh as I bit my tongue, trying to control myself from whimpering like a little bitch and failing miserably.

I was embarrassed by my lack of composure until I began to focus and realized I was not alone in my suffering. The sound of pain echoed through the locker room and I imagined Sarge standing outside the door laughing his smug ass off at the fact that he'd reduced his entire class to a bunch of whiny, cry-baby pussies. However, as much as that thought pissed me off, all I could think about in the moment was the funeral I was going to have to plan for my poor, charred dick which never even got the chance to reach the promised land between the legs of the woman I loved...

Not. Even. Once.

What the fuck was _wrong _with me? I was in _love_ and was relatively certain my feelings were returned, but for some reason I was too much of a pansy to just come out and ask Bella how she felt. Instead, I resorted to "waiting for the right time" - whenever the hell _that_ was. And in the meantime, I was pretty sure I'd lost any opportunity I had to experience the one thing that mattered most to me. The one thing that, had I made a bucket list, would have been at the very top. Getting it on with Bella. There was no doubt in my mind from the intense, unyielding pain I was feeling down below that I was never going to be able to fuck _anyone _with _anything _but my eyes from this day forward.

This was the end of the road.

I began to get dizzy, putting one hand up against the shower wall in front of me and leaning on it to steady myself as I cupped my balls with the other, beads of sweat beginning to form along my hairline. I didn't know what to do, but something had to give. The pain _had_ to stop, didn't it? How much could one man take? I knew I was no pussy, but I was seriously starting to panic about losing... _Oh my God he doesn't even have a name. Shouldn't he have a name for God's sake? What will his tombstone say, "Here lies Edward's dick"? Holy shit, this pain is making me delirious. Did I really just ask myself about a tombstone for my dick? _

"Dude," Jasper's voice called out from the shower stall across from me, pulling me out of my impending panic attack. "You're not using hot water, are you? It sucks, but you have to use cold or it's never gonna stop burning. I mean, it'll still hurt even with cold water, but it won't be unbearable."

I turned my head to look at him over the top of the stall, trying to decide if he was serious or not. If Jasper was good at one thing, it was bullshitting me, but I knew if he had experienced even _half_ of the pain I was in, he wouldn't _dare_ fuck me over by lying about something like this. And I was relatively secure enough in the fact that he knew if he did, I would waste no time kicking his ass in front of everyone in the room - with or without my dick.

Before I could pull myself together enough to open my mouth and threaten him within inches of his life if he was lying to me, he put my mind at ease – well as much as anyone could while I was convinced I was going to lose my cock to a slow burning fire. "I swear, Cullen, I'm not shitting you. The hot water makes it feel like your dick is on fire and gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'fire crotch' doesn't it? The cold water will eventually kind of numb it and, as scary as that sounds, it's better than the alternative."

"Whitlock, I swear on all that is holy..." I started to threaten as he raised his hand to cut me off, rolling his eyes at me in annoyance.

"Just trust me and turn the fucking knob before you pass out."

I turned back toward the faucet, hesitantly moving it from hot to cold and praying that Jasper wasn't stupid enough to be fucking with me. While the water wasn't ice cold - I wasn't that much of a glutton for punishment - it stung my skin on contact and the mere thought of what it was going to feel like down below was enough to make me question having listened to him in the first place, but I knew I was out of options. I closed my eyes and braced myself once again as the temperature of the water enveloped me and I began to shiver. I felt it cascade down my body, a groan escaping my lips as it reached the tender skin between my legs, but within moments, the numbing sensation took hold and relief washed over me. It didn't feel great, but it was a hell of a lot better than it had been and it afforded me the opportunity to actually clean myself rather than standing there writhing in pain.

Once I was clean and had rid myself of the pepper spray as much as humanly possible, I walked over to the lockers and found Jasper sitting on one of the benches in the middle of the room with a quizzical look on his face. I looked at him curiously, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, I shrugged and turned my back to him, running my fingers through my hair and opening my locker to pull out my deodorant and a pair of jeans.

"I can't decide if I should free ball it today or what," I heard from behind me as Jasper finally broke his silence. I shook my head as I pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and gingerly slipped them on, not even bothering to look at him because I knew I'd have to fight the urge to laugh.

"Are you serious?" I asked. "You do realize that your jeans rubbing against your dick will be a hell of a lot more painful than your fucking boxers, right?" Just the thought of it made me shudder.

Jasper sighed. "Why the fuck didn't we think ahead and bring sweats to put on afterward, or something? I mean, _jeans?_ How stupid are we? Boxers or not, I don't even want to think about how painful something coming in contact with my crotch is gonna be right now. What the hell, man? I feel like I have a mad case of Herpes right now or something - I had to check myself out in the mirror to make sure there weren't any chemical burns or blisters or anything after I got out of the shower."

I laughed, turning to toss my towel at the back of his head before grabbing my jeans out of my locker and stepping into them, being very careful not to cause any unwanted pressure on any of my...tender areas. Jasper threw my towel back at me, completely missing and hitting the locker next to me instead. I laughed again, eliciting a groan from him.

"This is serious, fucker. Nothing about my dick burning is funny. _Nothing." _

"I'm not laughing about that, I'm laughing at your lousy aim. Trust me, I feel your pain, we _all_ do, but it's not like you screwed Denali and got some random STD, you asshole. The cold water made it tolerable, and as long as you don't do anything to cause unnecessary friction, you'll be fine. Just get off your ass and get dressed so we can get the hell out of here already, would you?" I said, yanking my bag out of my locker and turning around to toss it on the bench next to him so I could give him a pointed look.

He stood up begrudgingly, walking to his locker and pulling out his bag, tossing it on the bench next to mine. I chuckled at his pitiful behavior as I reached in my bag for my iPhone, hearing the familiar reminder chirp letting me know I had missed a text. I lifted up the blue t-shirt I had thrown in earlier, pulling it over my head and picking up my phone which had been underneath it, relatively certain I knew who had left the text that was waiting for me.

**Please tell me PRFME can still perform his...ahem...duties after today. ;o) - B**

**Haha I assure you that I can ALWAYS perform & I'll be happy to prove it to you later...as many times as I can get away with it. - E**

***gasp* I certainly hope you're talking about what I'm talking about... - B**

**LOL That's for me to know and you to find out later, isn't it? ;o) - E**

**Um... - B**

**Ha! See you soon! ;o) - E **

I put my phone back in my bag and pulled out my socks and a pair of Nike's, slipping them both on and lacing up my shoes before standing up to shut my locker and lock it. When I turned around, I saw Jasper standing there in his blue jeans, slowly pulling his yellow V-neck T-shirt over his head while his unlaced brown boots sat on the floor next to his bare feet. I grabbed his socks out of his bag and threw them at him, attempting to hurry his slow ass so we could get on the road and make a quick stop for groceries before heading home to make dinner for the girls. _Dear Jesus, please allow my Chicken Parmesan to get me into Bella's pants. Wait, scratch that idea, the thought of my dick getting hard right now makes me want to puke and puking on Bella probably won't get me invited back into her pants. So, how about a boob, God? Just one naked boob would make me really happy right now. Oh shit...maybe a little too happy. Ouch.._.

Jasper fumbled around in his bag as I threw mine over my shoulder and bent down to pick up the laundry bag which we had filled with our pepper spray soaked clothes. Lucky for him, I had at least had some foresight to bring a separate bag for that stuff, or the pepper spray would've gotten all over his hands and everything in his duffel bag, making it virtually impossible for him not to come in contact with it again. If that happened, there was no doubt in my mind it would end up in his eyes because, as we learned from our shower issue, O.C. spray didn't just disappear - it took a lot of soap and water and quite a bit of time soaking to get rid of it. I wanted to spend time with Bella tonight, not babysit Jasper, so as soon as we got home I had plans to put the bag in the laundry room and out of his reach.

"What the fuck are you digging for?" I asked in annoyance, leading him out of the locker room as he continued his mad search for whatever it was.

He squinted at me, pointing at his eyes. "Um, my _sunglasses_," he said, returning my annoyance ten-fold. "My dick is already burnt to a crisp and I don't need to fry my fucking corneas anymore than they already have been today. What the fuck? I swear I had them!" I couldn't help but laugh, which only pissed him off even further and he stopped dead in his tracks like a defiant child, glaring at me.

"You mean the ones on your head, dumbass?"

"I knew I took them out!" he said, grinning at me sheepishly as he slid his brown aviators down onto his face, shrugging. I shook my head as he walked by me, turning around to face me as he walked backwards and stared at me over the rim of his glasses like I was the one holding us up. "Come on, Cullen, let's go! If we don't hurry, we'll never make it."

* * *

I stood in the aisle at Safeway trying to decide what to do about the marinara I needed for dinner. I didn't have time to make it from scratch with fresh tomatoes as I normally would, but I refused to contaminate my Chicken Parmesan with the jarred shit Jasper was pestering me to buy so we could get the hell out of there. I sent him to get some angel hair pasta and get him out of my hair as I debated with myself which canned tomato would taste less shitty in my sauce.

"No matter what you do, it'll never be enough, you know," I heard an unfamiliar voice say behind me, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned around hesitantly, pretty sure the male voice was speaking to me but not quite sure I really wanted to find out. When I saw his face, I knew with absolute certainty I was correct on both accounts. _You have got to be fucking kidding me..._

He was standing across the aisle from me, black jeans, black t-shirt and his arms folded across his chest, doing his damndest to intimidate me. Little did he know, after the day I'd had, fucking with me was something he really didn't want to do.

"Excuse me?" I said, narrowing my eyes at him and slipping my hands in my pockets in hopes it would help me keep myself in check. The guy was a complete douche bag and beating the shit out of him was pretty high up on that bucket list I'd thought about earlier.

"Bella," he said as if to clarify. _Like I don't know who the fuck you're talking about, asshole. _

"I gathered that," I said disgustedly in response. "But I really have no idea what would make you think that it was a good idea to even mention her name in my presence, let alone actually _speak_ to me about her. You've got a lot of fucking nerve."

"So, I'm assuming she told you about me."

"Do I know you're her ex? Yes. And it's obvious you're not happy about that, which I can't blame you for because I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. But honestly, man, if you think this bullshit you're pulling is going to scare me off so you can weasel your way back in, you might as well find something better to do with your time. I'm not going anywhere." I pulled one of my hands out of my pocket and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to calm myself down. He had barely said ten words to me but his stance and his demeanor left no doubt that he was looking for trouble, and beating him to a bloody pulp in the middle of a grocery store probably wouldn't help me further my career.

"Yeah, that's what I thought at one time, too. But trust me, things aren't always what they seem, _especially _when it comes to Bella Swan," he said as he sneered at me with such condescension that it took everything I had not to reach over and knock his perfect white teeth out of his shit-talking mouth. "In the beginning, she's all over your dick like she can't get enough, but she'll tire of you eventually and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. She's a bitch, man, through and through. She played me and she'll do the same fucking thing to you...I just hope I'm around to watch when it happens."

I knew he was baiting me, but just the way he said her name made my blood boil. I was fighting the urge to do something I knew I would regret, but when the word _bitch_ left his mouth, all hopes of maintaining my self-control disappeared. That motherfucker could say whatever he wanted to say about me but there was no way in hell I was going to let him disrespect Bella that way.

Before I knew what was happening, I was across the aisle and in his face, glaring at him and gritting my teeth, trying to contain my anger. "Don't you ever...and I mean _ever..._speak about her that way again!" I said, shoving him into the shelves behind him.

He chuckled, staring me down as if to try and intimidate me into backing down which was futile. If he wanted a fight, he was doing exactly what it was going to take to get it. And while I knew it wasn't the smart thing for me to do, feeding into his bullshit and letting him goad me into a confrontation, in the heat of the moment I just didn't care. I stood my ground, continuing to glare at him to make it clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt that while he could scare a woman who was practically half his size, he didn't scare me. _You're fucking with the wrong guy, asshole. _

"I'll fucking say whatever I want to say about her whenever I want to say it, whether you like it or not. And if you don't like it, I'd _love_ to see you try and stop me," he said, shoving me back.

As soon as his hand made contact, something inside me snapped and even though I knew I was going to have my ass handed to me on Monday after Sarge found out - and because this pussy was dating Denali, there was no doubt in my mind he would - it didn't matter. As I pulled my fist back, all I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears and all I could see was the smirk I was going to knock right off of his smug face.

I swung without another thought as to what I was about to destroy as soon as my fist connected with his face, but was pulled back before I made contact. Suddenly Jasper was between us with a look of shock on his face. "What the fuck are you doing?" he asked pushing me across the aisle, his back to Jacob who was still grinning from ear to ear knowing he had gotten to me.

I was shaking with rage as I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends and trying to calm myself down. "I don't know, man. He was talking shit about Bella and I just lost it." I shook my head in frustration that I'd let him piss me off and that he now knew just how to go about it when he wanted to get under my skin again.

I heard a chuckle from behind Jasper and I pinched the bridge of my nose as I struggled to keep my composure. He held his hand up to stop me from opening my mouth and saying something else that I was going to regret, turning his head to look at the douche bag that had, I was quite certain, intentionally created this entire mess, and telling him to get lost.

"What the fuck ever," he said, shrugging his shoulders and looking at me pointedly. "I'm not the one with the problem here but it's obvious we're done for the time being, so I'll leave. Trust me, though, this is _far _from over."

He turned and walked away and I continued to glare at him, seething with anger, until he reached the end of the aisle and turned, disappearing from my view. Jasper still had a hand on my shoulder, holding my back up against the shelf, and I shrugged him off, letting him know I was calm enough not to chase after the motherfucker. "I'm good," I said sharply, running my fingers through my hair and taking a deep breath as he let go of me and backed off.

"What the hell were you thinking? You know he's going to run right to Denali with this shit. Why would you let him get you going like that?"

"I wasn't thinking, Jasper," I said, glancing at my watch quickly before I grabbed a couple cans of tomatoes. We only had an hour until the girls were supposed to be at the house and I had a lot of cooking to do if I was going to get dinner on the table at a decent hour. They both had to work early Saturday morning, which also happened to be the busiest day of the week for them, and Bella and I had plans with her parents for dinner on top of it so I didn't want to keep them out too late.

"Obviously," he responded, rolling his eyes at me as I checked to make sure he had picked up the pasta I'd told him to get and then headed over to the liquor so I could get a bottle of Pinot Noir before checking out. He trailed behind me in typical Jasper Whitlock form and continued to try and get me to talk to him about what had happened. "You better fucking hope your future father-in-law doesn't hear about your little altercation before dinner tomorrow night. Although, I'm not sure if that would win you points with him or not since you _were _standing up for his daughter. Are you going to tell Bella?"

"No," I said pointedly as I pulled a bottle off the shelf and turned to look at him, "and you better not say anything to the little eyefucker, either. You know she can't keep her mouth shut, especially when it comes to Bella, and I don't want to worry her - she's already nervous enough about letting her father know we're dating. Once we make it through dinner, I'll tell her before someone else does. The last thing I need is for Sarge to find out and confront her with it."

Jasper nodded and I quietly prayed that he could keep his mouth shut for a couple days as I paid for the groceries and hurried out of Safeway in hopes that I'd have enough time to make canned tomatoes taste like a decent marinara sauce. _Doubtful..._

_

* * *

_

I heard the chime of the doorbell as I slid the chicken in the oven, still not completely sure I was in love with my marinara but figuring I could doctor up the part that remained while the chicken was baking. Jasper had been forbidden to enter the kitchen until Bella and Alice arrived because I had such a short amount of time to work with and he was seriously annoying me with questions about what had transpired at the grocery store. I gave him the Reader's Digest version and then told him to get lost and let me work my magic. Thankfully he was easily distracted with setting the table on the back patio - apparently his grandmother had given him lessons in the art of napkin folding when he was a little boy and he was overly excited to make swans in honor of Bella. _I seriously worry for him sometimes, I really do. Thank God her last name isn't something like Bush. I don't even want to think about what would end up on our table then..._

I heard the whoosh of the back door opening and caught a glimpse of Jasper as he practically flew past the kitchen to answer the front door. As soon as he let our guests in, he retreated back to the patio to work on the table, apparently having taken Alice with him. I was so busy in the kitchen that I wasn't paying too much attention, wanting to make sure I timed everything perfectly. It was the first time I was cooking for Bella and I had every intention of impressing her with my mad skills. _Note to self, never say that shit out loud. Mad skills...fucking ridiculous._

"Mmmm...something smells good in here," I heard Bella say with a sigh. I turned around to find her standing right in front of me in some washed out jeans and a long sleeved light gray colored top with some kind of dark gray shirt over it that only came to her waist where it was tied. Her hair was pulled back off of her face but fell down her shoulders in big caramel waves. Even when dressed casually she was breathtaking...and standing _way _too far away from me.

I grabbed the long sash that hung from the knot she had tied above her right hip, pulling her close to me and wrapping my arms around her. "It's either the chicken or the sauce you're talking about. But, if you ask me, neither one of them smells as good as you," I responded, pushing her hair off her shoulder so I could kiss her neck.

She slapped me playfully and giggled as I ran my nose up her neck, inhaling deeply before running my tongue along the shell of her ear and gently pulling on the lobe with my teeth. "Nope," she said, her voice a little shaky and barely above a whisper. "I was talking about _you_, not the food. But now that you mention it, the food smells delicious, too."

I groaned, feeling my dick start to stir in my pants, knowing if I let things go any further I'd be in pain but not yet ready to pull away. Unable to resist, I let my hands fall from her waist to her hips, pulling her closer as she looked up at me through her eyelashes. I brought my mouth to hers as her hands found their way into my hair, her tongue darting out and begging for entrance before I even had the opportunity to think about trying that move myself. I parted my lips and brought my tongue out to meet hers, a little moan escaping her as I squeezed her ass and rubbed up against her despite my better judgment. I could feel my hard on pushing against my zipper, the pain of my engorged state becoming almost unbearable, but her arousal spurning me on, regardless.

The pain didn't matter, all that mattered in that moment was that I wanted her...no, I _needed _her.

"Whoops!" I heard the eyefucker before I saw her, barging into the room and ruining the moment in the same goddamn fashion as her boyfriend always seemed to do. _What is it with these two and their damn timing? I'm never going to get a fucking boob in this house, let alone more..._

I reluctantly broke our kiss, placing a quick one on the tip of her nose before looking over her head to see Alice leaning against the counter behind us, grinning from ear to ear and obviously satisfied by the fact that she'd interrupted us. Like Bella, she was dressed casually in a pair of cropped black leggings and a long sleeved dark green top. Her hair was much darker than it had been last time I saw her - which happened to be the day before because she spent way too much time at my house drooling over Jasper - making her blue eyes stand out even more than they had before.

"Annoying," Bella said in a sing-song voice, nuzzling into my chest as she hugged me close to her, not wanting to let go anymore than I did. Even though we saw each other as often as possible, the time apart was starting to get to both of us. If we could come clean to Sarge, we would be able to be together as much as Alice and Jasper were, but Bella refused to hear anything about it until after I graduated the academy. No matter how much I had tried to convince her that she was worth the added pain it may cause me, she was stubborn and unwilling to even consider changing her mind. Truth be told, I was kind of surprised she hadn't called off dinner with her father since she was so adamant about making sure her brother didn't find out.

"Disgusting," Alice said back, mimicking Bella's tone. I felt Bella's hand move behind my back and knowing her as well as I did, I assumed she was flipping Alice off. When Alice narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, I knew I was right. _That's my girl._ "Jasper sent me in to find out how much longer until dinner is ready. He said something about folding napkins and not being allowed in the kitchen?"

I chuckled, kissing the top of Bella's head before letting go of her and resigning myself to the fact that I had to get back to handling dinner. "Alright you two, play nice for a while so I don't have to referee while I try to finish up dinner. I'd ask Jasper to keep an eye on you but he's evidently taking this whole napkin folding thing more seriously than any of us could have ever imagined. So, I'm trusting you two on your own...please don't make me regret it." I winked at them, handing Bella the bottle of Pinot Noir I'd already uncorked and placing some wine glasses on the counter in front of Alice before turning my attention back to the stove.

I heard someone pouring the wine as the girls chattered behind me. Bella was curious about Jasper's reaction to Alice's darker hair which she had done that afternoon during their lunch break and Alice confirmed that he loved it. They then spent the next few minutes watching Jasper folding the napkins and trying to figure out what it was he was making. All of the sudden, I heard the eyefucker gasp like a little girl who had just been given a fucking pony when she realized what he was up to. "Aw...he's making swans for Bella Swan! He's so damn cute!"

I turned my head just in time to watch her as she spun around to face Bella, accidentally bumping her in the arm and splashing red wine all down the front of Bella's shirt. Bella stood there in shock, pulling her shirt out in front of her to survey the damage as Alice dabbed at it furiously with the kitchen towel she had yanked off the counter. "Would you _stop_, Alice? You're only making it worse!" She pushed her hands away and Alice bent down to sop up the wine that had fallen onto the hardwood floor since there was no way she was going to be able to save Bella's shirt.

"Oh my God, Bella, I'm so fucking sorry! I didn't realize you were right there and...shit! I should've been more careful. Take it off and I'll go work on it right now. Can you give her a shirt, Edward?" She started pushing Bella toward my room, motioning for me to come along. I washed my hands quickly, rubbing them on my jeans as I followed behind them since my kitchen towel was now balled up on my counter and soaked in red wine.

I walked into my closet to grab a shirt for Bella as Alice rushed her to take both of her shirts off and asked me for some club soda. "Jasper may have some somewhere, I don't know, you'll have to ask him," I told her, as I searched for the flannel I usually gave Bella when she came over after work and needed something to change into. It was the same shirt I had given her the first time she'd come over and she loved it so much that she had kind of adopted it as her own, but for some reason I had no clue where the hell it was.

"Can I wear this one?" I spun around to see Bella standing at the door of closet, wearing only her jeans and a bra and holding out a shirt for my approval. It was a short sleeved gray and blue button down that I had left on my bed and forgotten to take with me that morning. Could she wear it? Of course she could. But did I want her to? Fuck no. I wanted to stare at her in her sexy low waisted jeans and low cut, motherfucking hot and practically see-through bra for a while and die a little inside wishing I could see what was underneath.

Fuck that. I wanted to see what was underneath. And touch what was underneath...even if it made my dick hurt.

"Edward? Hello? Is it okay if I wear this shirt?" she asked me, biting her lip as if she was nervous about my response.

I shook my head, trying to make myself focus on anything other than the fact that the woman I loved was standing in front of me, practically half-naked. "Of course you can wear that," I said, moving closer to her and sliding my fingers into her belt loops so I could pull her toward me the rest of the way, closing the gap between us. "You can wear whatever you want. Or _not _wear whatever you want."

She looked up at me as I took a finger and gently ran it across her lip, coaxing her to loosen her teeth. She let go with a smile, surprising me when she brought her tongue out to graze the tip of my finger, swirling it around the tip before closing her lips around it. I felt my eyes roll back into my head as I groaned, my dick growing harder and more painful with each swipe of her tongue.

Bella let go of my finger, licking her lips as she dropped the shirt and ran her hands up my chest, locking them behind my neck. She stood on her toes and pulled my face to hers, our lips meeting and our tongues tangling as I lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around me. We continued to kiss feverishly, my hands on her ass as I stumbled into my room, only breaking our connection so I could lay her down on my bed. She looked beautiful, laying on her back with her hair spread out behind her, her nearly bare chest heaving and her cheeks pink with desire.

I knew in that moment that she wanted me as much as I wanted her...but I also knew there was nothing we could do about it. I had to keep reminding myself as I gazed at her laying there and waiting for me to join her that we weren't alone. In addition, I was already feeling an inordinate amount of pain at half mast and couldn't even begin to imagine what I would feel if I didn't put an end to this very, very soon. I ran my fingers through my hair as I struggled to make the right choice, but before I could do so, I heard some kind of commotion on the other side of the house and knew then and there that my decision had been made for me.

Bella shot up, sobered by the God awful screaming that was echoing through the house and running into my closet to get my shirt. She threw it on, buttoning it as she rushed toward the door, swinging it open and pausing as she crossed the threshold to turn and look at me. "Are you coming?" I nodded, hesitating for a minute as I tried to pull myself together before following behind her. _No, Bella, I'm not coming. And at this rate, I'm starting to wonder if I ever will again without the aid of Rosy Palm and her five sisters. God Cullen, that was...bad._

The closer we got to the laundry room the louder the wailing became. Bella threw the door open, finding Jasper standing over Alice as she cried, trying to calm her down so he could figure out what the hell was going on. Alice had her hands over her eyes, unable to speak and seemingly on the verge of hyperventilating as I tried to survey the area and figure out what the fuck was going on. Bella's shirts were laid flat, one on the washer and one on the dryer, the stain completely gone from both of them. There was a bottle of club soda sitting on the laundry tub with the cap on it and a towel, which she had apparently used to remove the stain, sitting next to it. Nothing else stood out to me as I scanned the room until I caught a glimpse of the bag Jasper and I had put our pepper spray soaked clothes in earlier lying on the floor by her feet, empty. _Oh shit..._

"Jasper, take her to the guest bathroom and help her flush her eyes out with cold water. She must have decided to throw our clothes from today in the washer while she was in here and then inadvertently rubbed her eyes."

Alice nodded, confirming my theory and Bella talked to her calmly, explaining that it would feel worse before it would feel better but that everything was going to be okay. Bella obviously knew what she was talking about, having probably heard many stories about her father's and brother's cadets experiencing something similar and it seemed to help Alice begin to re-gain her composure. Jasper led her out of the room with his arm around her as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks and Bella held her hands to keep her from rubbing her eyes any more than she already had.

I threw the towel she had used in the washer with our clothes and started it before picking up the bottle of club soda and returning to the kitchen to check on dinner. Even though I felt bad for her, knowing first hand how much that shit burned, I couldn't help but chuckle. _Poor Alice...I guess the little eyefucker's eyes are out of commission for the night_.


	12. Hairbrained

**A/N: Lets be honest…I suck. I know this. It's been WAY too long and while I could sit here and give you all of my excuses why, it would bore you. Suffice it to say that I've been going through a rough patch. I'm soon to be a single mom of two due to my upcoming divorce, I work A LOT, I'm getting ready to move halfway across the country…life happens. And it always has to come first, even when we don't necessarily want it to. **

**To those of you who have been so patient and supportive, I can not even begin to express my appreciation to you. You really are the best…I'm not just saying that. :o)**

**Thank you also goes to ilsuocantante for taking time out of her busy schedule to beta for me, as always.**

**Last but not least, an extra special thank you goes to khariZZmatik for being an amazing source of support to me as well as pre-reading and agonizing with me over the smallest details – you are invaluable to me. **

**As always, outfits are in my profile.  
**

**Stephenie Meyer's owns everything Twilight - but I can do whatever I want with Copward and Stinkerbella. ;o)**

* * *

**BPOV**

The days following lunch with my mom and Edward were hectic, to say the least. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas were always our busiest at the salon; more often than not, we would end up working extra hours trying to fit everyone in. Normally, I wouldn't have bat an eyelash. Work was usually at the top of my list of priorities, which was why I had found so much success in the industry at such a young age. While most twenty-somethings were in a hurry to find a man, settle down and start a family - if they hadn't done so already - that was the furthest thing from my mind. I was hyper-focused on making a name for myself by building my clientele, and aside from my talent, the only other way to achieve that was to do anything and everything to accommodate each and every person that sat in my chair.

So, that's what I did.

Even though my priorities seemed to be shifting, that's what everyone still expected from me...and I wasn't sure how much I was still willing to sacrifice for my career. Edward was understanding and supportive but the fact of the matter was, I wanted to be with him more than I was able to, which was really starting to get on my fucking nerves. I was actually starting to resent the one thing that had been most important to me for years and I didn't like that one bit. So, whether I wanted to admit it or not, I knew that meant that once the holidays were over, I was going to have to make some changes - changes that could end up biting me in the ass and scared me to death . Taking a leap of faith was _not _my strong suit when it came to my love life. _Understatement of the century! You're like a little old lady taking baby steps with her walker when it comes to leaps of faith..._

Any doubts I may have had - and there weren't many, mind you - melted away as soon as I'd walked into Edward's kitchen the night before and watched him working diligently on a dinner that could rival something my mother would make. The look on his face when he'd turned around, the way he'd gazed at me and breathed me in like there was nowhere else he'd rather be and no one else he'd rather be with nearly bowled me over. It had felt like his whole world stopped for _me_.

He wasn't clingy or overbearing and he didn't demand more than I could give him or expect my life to revolve around him. All he wanted, all he ever asked for, was _me_. And in that moment, I knew with more certainty than I had ever felt before that I wanted to give myself to him...completely. For the first time in my life, I was resigned to following my heart and I hoped and prayed that it was leading me in the right direction.

That was when the realization of what was really going on within me hit me like a shit ton of bricks..._ Holy shit, I love him...I'm in fucking _love _with Edward Cullen. Like, spend the rest of my life, have kids and grandkids, sit on the porch swing when we're gray kind of l-o-v-e. What the fuck has he done to me? _

"Earth to Bella," a familiar female voice called to me, pulling me out of my head and back to reality. I was standing behind the desk at the salon, waiting for Bree to finish rinsing my last client of the day and absentmindedly scrolling through my book on the computer to try and figure out what the hell I could do to change my schedule and not lose my clientele.

On top of everything else that was going on in my life, Rosalie had decided that it would be helpful for Bree to "shadow" me for a while since she'd been getting a lot of complaints and Laurent and I had gotten stuck fixing her mistakes on too many occasions. Being the pompous French prick that he was, Laurent refused to take on the added responsibility of educating Bree rather than just using her as his assistant, which left the burden solely on me.

Bree was young and "green" and needed the extra hands-on training to help perfect her craft. Truth be told, beauty school taught the basics; it gave the foundation for which to build upon, but the practical work was supervised and corrected by instructors who, more often than not, were overworked and underpaid. Because of this, there were a lot of girls that graduated and passed their state boards but lacked the skills they needed to really succeed in the industry. Bree was one of those girls; she needed more education and a little direction to help her become the best stylist she was capable of being.

I just hadn't known it was going to be left up to me to see to it that she got it.

Unfortunately for me, however, Rosalie had an unexpected bargaining chip that she dangled over my head whenever it suited her purposes: My super secret police recruit boyfriend. The one my brother, _her boyfriend_, didn't know about. Basically, she had me by the balls - well, if I _had_ balls - and she fucking knew it. _Bitch. _

"What? Oh, sorry, Bree," I said, recognizing her voice and looking up at her with a smile. She was standing on the other side of the desk, running her fingers through her shiny, chocolate colored hair and looking at me expectantly.

"Charlotte made a stop in the ladies room and said she'd meet you at your station. I rinsed the toner and ran some conditioner through her ends for you, just like you told me. Are you okay? You looked like you were seriously lost in thought when I walked over here."

"Um...yeah," I responded with a sigh. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Dinner with your parents tonight, right?"

I groaned. "Yes. God, don't remind me. I've been trying to avoid thinking about it all week but now that it's so close, I'm starting to freak the fuck out."

"Why are you freaking out? You said they got along really well on Thanksgiving, right? I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Bree said casually, trying to reassure me.

I knew she was right, but it didn't change the way I was feeling. I was convinced at this point that I was going to be on edge until Edward graduated and we no longer had to worry about _anyone_ finding out about us. Because even if my dad was accepting of our relationship, there was one person we still had to worry about...

Emmett.

I rolled my eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. Of course my _father _would love Edward, but he wasn't the one I was really concerned about. My father was just as over-protective as my brother, but Charlie had a knack for seeing the "big picture" and not jumping to conclusions - something Emmett wasn't as skilled at doing when it came to his little sister and her love life. And in all honesty, I didn't fear that either of them would dislike Edward; I worried that Emmett would be suspicious of his intentions...that he would turn my entire relationship, everything Edward and I felt for each other, into some contrived plan to use me for inside information and graduate with top honors. That's how Emmett's mind worked. And one thing I knew for certain was that no matter what, he was going to be _pissed_ when we finally broke the news to him - if for no other reason than because I had point blank lied. To him. All this time. _Way to make yourself feel better Bella, you dumbass. I think I need a fucking drink. Big enough to drown in. Like...yesterday. _

My stomach churned with nerves as I thanked Bree for her help and walked back to my station to finish up Charlotte's hair. She was my last appointment of the day and with dinner looming so close by, my thoughts were never far from Edward and the impact he'd had on my life in the last few months. Thank God the noise of my hair dryer made it virtually impossible to hold up a decent conversation because there was no way I could have focused on making small talk.

I had _way _too much on my mind.

After giving Charlotte a hug goodbye I headed back to my station to clean up, absentmindedly grinding my teeth as I ran through my regular routine of sanitization. I was so busy slowly torturing myself with scenarios of what could happen in the night ahead that I didn't hear anyone sneak up on me. And when I felt a hand on my arm and spun around in shock, the one scenario I hadn't even considered was staring me in the face laughing hysterically at my reaction.

My fucking brother. _What. The. Fuck?_

"Hey, Stinkerbell," he said as casually as he could while gasping for air between laughs. "What's got you so jumpy?"

I clutched my chest with one hand, slapping him on the arm with the other. _Ouch. Of _course _that hurt me more than it hurt him. Fucking Gigantor. _"You, you dumbass!" I said in a harsh whisper, trying not to draw any more attention from the clientele still in the salon. "Who the hell sneaks up on someone holding a sharp ass pair of shears? I could've stabbed you - or worse, I could've stabbed _myself!_I bet you wouldn't find that so fucking amusing, would you?"

Emmett's face fell, and just like that, I felt guilty. "Shit. Didn't think about that. Sorry."

I shook my head, groaning at my constantly conflicting emotions. I knew I was being a bitch to him and he didn't really deserve it. Granted, surprising me wasn't the smartest thing to do, but that wasn't _really _why I was pissed. I was pissed because Edward was on his way to pick me up for dinner with my parents and would be walking through the door at any given moment - I needed to do damage control and I needed to do it fast.

"Nevermind, Em, you just startled me," I said, shrugging my shoulders and trying to feign nonchalance. I was pretty sure I failed. Luckily, before I could find out, I heard Rosalie's voice calling to him as she hurried down the stairs in a flash of pink and black, purse in hand.

"I told you I'd be right out, Em," she said, grabbing him by the arm and flashing him a nervous smile, before turning to look at me with a frantic look on her face as she attempted to pull him toward the door.

"Chill out, Rosie. What's your hurry?" Emmett asked, shaking his head and eyeing her suspiciously. "I just thought I'd stop in and say hello to my sister while you were finishing up, since I haven't seen much of her lately. Jesus. First Bella snaps at me and now you're dragging me out of here like the place is on fire. What the hell?"

His gaze shifted in my direction and I looked away quickly, avoiding making eye contact. I knew he'd see right through me if we did. I was guilty. And not only was I guilty of lying to him and sneaking around behind his back, but I was also guilty of dragging his girlfriend into the whole thing with me. I was a bad sister. I was a bad friend. I was just a bad person in general. _I suck. God, no I don't...but I'd like to. Oh my God, I have a one track mind..._

Unfortunately, Rosalie was not calm under pressure when it came to anything other than business. Whenever she was nervous, she would laugh like a freaking hyena and once she started, it was almost impossible to get her to stop. The laugh would then be followed by nonsensical talking and all around "flailiness", as Alice and I referred to it. I knew I had to intervene before that could happen, because if it did there was no doubt in my mind Emmett would know something wasn't kosher.

"What, are you a cop or something?" I asked, nudging his arm and trying to lighten the mood. "You're always interrogating all of us like we're suspects in a crime, Emmett. Are you ever off the clock? Geesh!" I threw my arms up in exasperation. It was a weak attempt at humor but I needed to make sure he didn't actually think we were hiding something from him.

He chuckled, looking at me and then Rosalie and then back at me, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Okay, ladies, you can have your little secret, whatever it is. Chances are, I don't want to know anyway. Just know I'm watching you...and sooner or later, I'll figure it out. Trust me." He nodded and winked, seemingly satisfied for the moment that he'd asserted his authority with both of us while Rosalie and I stifled giggles at the cheesy nature of his gesture.

"So, can we go then, Sergeant Swan?" Rose asked sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, tugging his arm toward her and sliding her small hand into his. "I've been here since seven o'clock this morning and I'm exhausted and hungry, which anyone who knows me understands is not a good combo."

I could tell from the look on Emmett's face that he recognized it was time to go. Without another word, he bent over and kissed me on the cheek, waving goodbye over his shoulder as Rosalie pulled him out the door. I heard Alice call out a quick goodbye from behind the reception desk followed by a chuckle when her sister shook her head and put her free hand over my brother's mouth to make sure he wasn't sidetracked into stopping. Rosalie was definitely hungry.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind them and the coast was clear. I finished packing up my tools, and threw the last of my towels into the laundry bin before joining Alice so I could finish my paperwork quickly before Edward showed up. Angela scurried away as soon as I stepped behind the desk, mumbling something about sweeping the floor.

Things had been tense between us since the night Edward and I had "run into" her and her brother on their little double date, but this was getting ridiculous. It was as if she was afraid to talk to me, and I wasn't sure if it was because she was afraid of me...or her brother. He had been using her to track my whereabouts, which was about the shadiest thing he'd done so far, but I didn't actually blame Angela for any of it. She was manipulated by him, just as I had been, and he had a much stronger hold on her than he ever had on me because they were family.

What was even worse was I felt an assload of guilt for how Angela was feeling, when I had done absolutely nothing to make her feel that way. I had tried talking to her in order to smooth things over, but she wasn't interested. She avoided me like the plague and the only time she'd speak to me was when she had no choice because work dictated it. But even then, if possible, she'd have Bree deliver her messages to me instead. It pissed me off and I knew we'd have to hash everything out once and for all, but now was _not _the time. For now, I had to focus on making it through the night...

"Awkward," Alice said in her annoying sing-song fashion.

"Tell me about it," I said, rolling my eyes. "If anyone should be pissed, it's me, don't you think? She totally set me up, but somehow I'm the bad guy? I just don't get what's going through her head right now."

"She's been really quiet around all of us, not just you. Maybe she's just embarrassed, ya know? Think about it, Bells, she's got to know what she did wasn't cool, seeing as she's the one that gave Edward your number in the first place...I bet her douchebag brother doesn't know _that _part of the story. Anyway, I think she's just in a tough spot. Give her some time, she'll come around."

I groaned. "Fuuuuuuuuck. I can't deal with this right now, I'm stressed out enough as it is. I'll deal with Angela once I get through tonight."

"Good God Bella, stop over-thinking it all already, would you? You're driving us all crazy and everything's going to work out. Trust me," she said, tapping her temple, "I know what I'm talking about."

"She's right," I heard Edward's voice say in agreement, surprising me. I had put my head down for a moment to stick a post-it-note on my paperwork for Bree and had somehow missed the swoosh of the front door as he'd pushed it open. My mouth dropped when I saw him walk up to the desk in a pair of loose fitting blue jeans, a white wife beater and a white button down shirt. The sleeves of the button down were rolled up slightly, showing off his beautifully tanned, muscular forearms and the signature sex hair was in perfect disarray, as usual. He was so gorgeous it almost hurt to look at him, but I couldn't stop staring.

"As much as it pains me to say those words," he continued with a grimace, "she is."

Alice stuck out her tongue and I chuckled, tugging her dark hair a little as I pushed past her and walked around the desk to greet him. "Hey, Eyefucker," he said to her with a smirk as he snaked his arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head.

"How's it going, FuckMeEyes?" she replied, flipping him the bird. "Oh wait, I don't care."

Edward faked a gasp and I shook my head at them. Anyone who didn't know them as I did would think they couldn't stand each other but I knew better. They had a love/hate relationship but it was more love than hate...they just really enjoyed giving each other a hard time. And I couldn't lie, Edward's ability to put Alice in her place was one of the many things I adored about him. Nobody stood up to her like he did, not even me, and I thought I was pretty damn good at it.

"Aw, I'm hurt, Alice" he said, placing his hand over his heart for dramatic affect. "Oh wait, no I'm not."

"Alright you two, as much as I'd love to sit here and watch you insult each other..."

"Lies," Alice chimed in before I could finish, not even bothering to look up from her paperwork so I could give her a dirty look. I gave her one anyway and mentally gave her the two fingered salute. _Bitch._

"Anyway," I said, pulling away from Edward to grab my purse off the reception desk where I'd left it, "we better get going. The drive to Fountain Hills is almost an hour and my parents are always early."

Edward nodded, reaching for my hand and giving it a quick squeeze. Alice leaned over the desk to give me a quick hug as she and Edward exchanged goodbyes. As if on cue, as we turned to walk out the door, she reassured me in a way only she could. "Don't worry Stinkerbellarina, Chief DILF will be glad to see you walk in with FuckMeEyes. Anything's better than that dog you were dating before him."

"Hey, thanks, Eyefucker...I always knew you had a soft spot for me," he said, opening the door for me. And as I walked out, the last thing I heard was Alice's gag followed by Edward's laughter all the way to the car.

* * *

"Ready?" Edward asked after parking his car in the lot outside of Que Bueno. He hadn't cut the engine yet and I assumed it was because he knew me well enough to know that I was about to jump out of my skin in anticipation of what was waiting for us inside that damn restaurant. Or maybe he could hear how hard my heart was beating in my chest, which wouldn't have surprised me since it felt like it was going to explode at any given moment. Either way, he was giving me a minute to catch my breath and calm myself before facing my father. If I hadn't been so freaked out, I might have been inclined to mount him right then and there for being so goddamned amazing and accepting of my bullshit. _Jesus Christ, Bella, for someone who's not getting laid, you sure are a slut. Ha! You _wish_. Yes, yes I do. _

I turned my head toward him and sighed. He looked like the picture of calm, leaning his head back against the headrest and looking at me with a smirk on his face. He reached out and place his hand on my thigh, eyeing me cautiously as he lightly ran his palm up and down my leg. "It'll be okay, you know. No matter what, you and I will be okay. Even if your dad gets pissed when he realizes I'm the skeleton in your closet - which I don't think he will - it's not going to change anything...well, not for me at least. You know that, right?"

"First of all, how do you always know the perfect thing to say? Second, why the hell do you put up with my shit? And third, how are you so damn calm right now when the Chief of Police, your _boss, _is waiting in that restaurant to see who has been secretly dating his only daughter for the past few months?" I asked with a smile, shaking my head at the absurdity of it all.

He chuckled. "Like I told you before we had lunch with your mom, all I'm worried about is you and me. The rest will work itself out, I promise. Besides, it's my ass on the line so I don't know why you're so nervous. If I'm not worried, you shouldn't be either, right?"

I nodded in agreement and couldn't help the smile that crept over my lips. He _was_ right, as usual, and if he wasn't so fucking incredible I probably would have been a little annoyed by that fact. No, scratch that, a _lot_ annoyed. But as he leaned toward me and captured my lips with his, any thoughts of worry or annoyance - or anything other than the tingling sensation that I felt between my legs every time he so much as looked at me - completely left my mind.

Before I knew it, we were as close as we could be in spite of the console between us, my hands in his hair and his tongue in my mouth. My senses were overwhelmed with him - his clean, manly smell, the minty taste of his mouth, his gentle yet passionate touch. I knew in that moment with absolute certainty I would never get enough of him.

He broke away for a moment, allowing me to catch my breath as he ran his hand through my hair and gazed at me with the desire I knew was reflected in my own eyes. "Do you have _any _idea how fucking beautiful you are, Bella?" he asked breathlessly before resuming our kiss, not allowing me a moment to respond. Not that I would have responded, anyway...I was too busy trying to give him a tonsillectomy with my tongue.

Once again, he pulled away slightly, shifting his focus from my mouth to my neck as his hand began a slow and deliberate descent down my right shoulder, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. I inhaled sharply as his hand cupped my breast, shocked not only that he'd made the move, but that he was doing it in the parking lot of the very restaurant my father and mother were inside of, waiting for us.

He massaged my breast as he ran his tongue down the shell of my ear, sucking gently on the lobe and chuckling quietly, apparently amused by my body's reaction to his touch. It started to dawn on me that Police Recruit FuckMeEyes was in complete control of this situation and he knew it...and he was probably smirking in satisfaction as he expertly tortured me with his tongue and long, beautiful fingers.

I began to squirm in my seat as the heat between my legs became almost unbearable. In the back of my mind, I was aware that Edward was going to stop at any given moment, his kisses becoming softer and less urgent. But as he peppered featherlight kisses along my jaw, making his way back to my mouth, I couldn't fight the urge to touch him all over, running my hands across the taut muscles of his chest and abdomen and slowly working my way down his body. Before I reached my destination he grabbed my hand, kissing me gently on the lips and leaning back so he could look at me, shaking his head and grinning from ear to ear. _Holy shit, he just cockblocked himself. Who does that?_

I watched in silent astonishment as he leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on the tip of my nose before cutting the engine, removing the key and getting out of the car. He adjusted himself before walking over to my door and opening it for me, offering me his hand and helping me out of the car with a fuckhot self satisfied smirk on his face that I wanted to lick right off of him.

"Feel better?" he asked as the realization of what he had just accomplished dawned on me. He had gotten me hot and bothered, that was for sure, but he'd also effectively made me forget how nervous I was. And I _did _feel better.

I narrowed my eyes at him and nodded, unable to fight the smile that crept over my lips.

"Good. Now, take a deep breath and let's get in there before your parents start to think we stood them up, okay?" he asked, smacking my ass playfully before taking my hand and leading me to the restaurant. _Fucking tease. _

As soon as we walked through the first door, I could see my parents standing inside the next one and off to the side a little, waiting to be seated. My heart jumped in my chest and I hesitated for a moment, placing my hand on top of Edward's and stopping him from pulling the door open.

"Wait," I pleaded. "I'm not ready."

"You're ready, Bella..._we're_ ready. Trust me." He squeezed my hand gently and looked me in the eyes, waiting for me to stop acting like a baby and realize that he wasn't going anywhere. No matter what. And in the scheme of things, nothing else mattered. We were walking into the restaurant as a united front, like Brenda and Dylan on 90210 when they decided they were going to be together even if her parents didn't like him. Except we weren't in high school, Edward wasn't a bad boy and I wasn't a bitch. _Okay, well...maybe we have _one _thing in common with them. Jesus, Bella, turn off the TV every once in a while._

Edward held the door open for me and I walked in, a nervous smile plastered on my face. I was smiling so big, I felt like my face might crack. _Oh yeah, Bella, that's natural...you'll have them all fooled. Not._

I felt Edward's arm slip around my waist and I leaned into him, hoping maybe by osmosis or something ridiculous like that, his confidence would wash over me and chill me the fuck out. It didn't work. Renee's eyes met mine, a warm, comforting smile on her face as she placed a hand on my father's arm and nodded toward us, letting him know we had arrived. I watched my father turn to face us in what seemed like slow motion as I held my breath and then squeezed my eyes shut in anticipation of his greeting. It felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest and it took everything I had not to just turn around and flee the scene...of the _crime_? Like a _criminal _or something? What the fuck was wrong with me? I just couldn't wrap my head around it.

What I _could _wrap my head around was that I needed to get this over with so we could sit down and I could get a goddamn drink. So, I opened my eyes and attempted to look normal - as normal as I could in the moment at least.

"Look who's finally here," my dad said, giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I was starting to wonder if you were going to show. Good to see you again, Edward." He looked from me to Edward, his dimples creasing his face in what I knew was a genuine Charlie Swan smile.

He wasn't shocked one bit.

I still was.

I tried to respond but was, probably for the first time in my life, at a loss for words. I felt like everyone was looking at me, waiting for me to say something and the pressure was just too much. I probably looked like a deer in the headlights My father chuckled, shaking Edward's hand as my mother pulled me into a quick hug. She took my face in both her hands as she withdrew, shaking her head and smiling in amusement at my ridiculousness. "I told you there was nothing to worry about, my dear. You should listen to your mother every once in awhile - believe it or not, I usually know what I'm talking about, _especially _when it comes to your father." I gave her a sarcastic smile and stuck my tongue out at her as she patted my head.

"Now, _that's_ my girl," I heard my father say and turned to see him squeezing Edward's shoulder as they both laughed at my childish behavior. Apparently, they were already getting along swimmingly. _ Who the hell uses the word swimmingly? Old ladies, that's who...definitely not normal people in their twenties. Then again, I'm not normal. I'm a freak. And if we make it through this dinner, Edward may just get to see what a freak I am. Where the hell is that hostess?  
_  
We were finally seated a few minutes later, my mom and dad in chairs on one side of the table and Edward and me in a booth on the other. Like magnets, we both slid across the bench to the middle of the table, sitting as close to each other as possible. His arm was around my shoulders and my hand was on his thigh and just like that, we were in our little comfort zone. Well, as close as we could be to our comfort zone when we were sitting across the table from my parents..._Emmett's_ parents..._Edward's sergeant's_ parents. My stomach rolled at the thought. _Jesus, somebody please have mercy on me and bring me a fucking drink already!_

The waitress came over to get us started and I ordered the first of many prickly pear margaritas of the night - it was the only place I'd ever found that made them and whenever we came to Que Bueno, I found myself indulging a little too much in their sweet deliciousness.

Tonight was obviously not going to be an exception.

My father and Edward both ordered a beer as well as a glass of ice water, and Renee had her usual glass of white wine with dinner. By the time I ordered my second drink, they had all barely touched their first.

Oh yeah, this wasn't going to be pretty.

"So," my father said, eyeing both of us as the waitress placed margarita number two in front of me. I picked it up and took a drink in anticipation of what was about to come out of his mouth. "Did you really think I didn't know there was something going on between you two at Thanksgiving? You really don't hide your feelings that well, Bells...you never have."

I swallowed hard. If my father noticed our less than subtle flirting, how the hell had Emmett not caught on to it? He usually noticed everything, especially when it came to me and anything that had anything to do with the male species. Obviously I was going to be indebted to Rosalie for the rest of my life for hypnotizing my brother with her pussy. _How does one thank someone for that? Dear Rosalie, thank you for screwing my brother and making him blind to what's happening right under his nose. Love, Bella. Gag. Thank God I haven't eaten because if I had, I would definitely be puking right now._

"I didn't think we were _that_ obvious, but apparently I was wrong. I'm just really glad Emmett didn't catch on as easily as you and Mom," I said, taking another swig and effectively downing drink number two. How had that happened so quickly? I only recalled taking two drinks from the glass and it was already empty? A warming sensation flowed through my body and I felt myself begin to relax a little, which made me start to ramble. "You know you can't tell him, right? I mean, you won't, will you? Mom said she understood why we're keeping it quiet right now and I just really need you to-"

"Relax, baby girl," he said with a grin, cutting me off. "You're an adult and it's your life. I won't say a word. Just promise me that as soon as Edward is done at the Academy, you two will come clean. He's probably going to be pissed that we all kept a secret from him, but he loves you and he'll come around. He's always been a little overprotective of you, but he means well."

"A little?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow. Emmett was a _lot _overprotective. It was okay when we were kids. I loved having this big bear of a brother looking out for me; if being the police chief's daughter wasn't enough to keep people from fucking with me, Emmett definitely was. However, the older we got, the more frustrating it became. I loved him and I appreciated him watching out for me...to an extent. But I knew that if he tried to "protect me" from Edward, things between us would never be the same.

Because I was in love with him. _Time for another drink._

The waitress brought me another margarita with our meals, which, just like the others, seemed to disappear way too quickly. I was really beginning to feel a good buzz and as Edward and Charlie talked animatedly about Edward's future goals with the police department, their voices began to scramble in my head and reminded me of the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons. "...mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa..." was all I heard. I ate my dinner in silence, really trying to focus on what was going on around me and failing miserably. However, that didn't stop me from ordering another drink.

And another.

And another.

By the time we had finished dinner, I felt like I had been a passenger on Oceanic 815 and was LOST on the motherfucking island...

I had no idea what we were talking about - or if I had even participated in the conversation. All I knew was that everyone seemed like they were getting along, Edward smelled _so _good and I really wanted to get out of that restaurant and into his pants. _Wait, I don't really want to get in his pants, do I? Does that even make sense? I don't fucking know...all I know is I want him out of his pants and into mine. Although, I don't really think my pants would fit him. Shit, it would probably be best if we were both just out of our pants and in his bed. Naked. Yes, that sounds much better... _  
_  
_"What sounds much better, honey?" I heard Renee ask me, her voice clear and concise for the first time in awhile and pulling me out of my drunken thoughts.

"What?" I asked.

"You just said something sounded much better," Edward chimed in, helping me to my feet. I realized we must have been getting ready to go.

"I did?" I asked. I may have been able to make out the words that they were speaking at this point but I had no idea what the hell they were talking about.

"You did," Edward said with a smirk, slipping his arm around my waist. "I think it's time to get you home. All those margaritas you had with dinner may have made things a little cloudy for you."

"Before dinner, during dinner, _after _dinner is more like it," my dad said with a chuckle. "You should probably get her to bed, Edward. She's going to be hurting tomorrow."

"Me in Edward's bed. I like the way you think, Pops," I slurred in agreement. _Wink, wink. Since when did I start calling Charlie, Pops? God, I think I need to lay down. On top of Edward. Right the fuck now. _

My head was spinning a little from standing up so I leaned into Edward as they all tried to stifle their laughter. I had no idea what was so fucking funny but since they all seemed to be getting along well, I really didn't give a shit. Tonight had been a success. At least, that's what I thought. I couldn't really be sure because most of it was a blur. A Prickly Pear Margarita filled blur.

We walked out to the parking lot together and said our goodbyes. I watched as my mom kissed Edward's cheek and my dad shook his hand and patted him on his back, so familiar and...accepting. Dinner had gone well - it was obvious even in my drunken state. Seeing them together made my heart swell in my chest. He had won them over without even having to try and they loved him.

But not as much as I did. _Shit, I think I need another drink..._

* * *

Edward helped me to his room, walking me over to the bed and helping me sit down with a chuckle. "I'm going to go get you something to change into, okay? You want a T-shirt and some shorts to sleep in?"

"Just a T-shirt," I said pointedly. If I was going to sleep with Police Recruit FuckMeEyes, I wanted as little between us as possible. "And you wear the shorts. _Only_ the shorts."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a grin and a salute, walking over to his dresser, opening a drawer and pulling out a T-shirt which he tossed at me. I tried to catch it but my reflexes were shot from all the alcohol I had gluttonously consumed at dinner and it landed on my head instead. After pulling out a pair of shorts for himself, Edward turned around and saw me fighting with the shirt and failing miserably. I had never heard him laugh so hard, not even at Alice.

"Not funny," I said petulantly as he handed it to me, kissing me on my head and asking me if I'd be alright to change on my own. I shook my head. "Nope, I think I'm gonna need your help, officer."

Edward groaned. "You're killing me over here, Bella. You have no idea how hard it's going to be to have you in my bed and not be able to do anything, but there's no way I'm taking advantage of you in the state you're in. I'll help you change, but you better be on your best behavior. Promise?"

"Yes sir, officer sir," I responded with a salute, standing up and unzipping my jeans. Apparently Edward had me take my shoes off at the door or something because they certainly weren't on my feet. Were they? I looked down at the floor and studied my bare feet. _Nope, no shoes._

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Edward asked, putting his arm around my waist to steady me as I stared at my feet and swayed from side to side a little. He must have thought I was going to puke which made me giggle. A lot. _Shit, I'm drunk._

"No," I said, trying to reassure him in the midst of my laughter, "No...I mean _yes_, I'm fine. I promise. I was just trying to figure out where my shoes went."

"Your shoes are on the mat by the garage door, right next to mine," he responded with a chuckle, patting me on the ass. I wasn't sure if that was to reassure me or just to cop a little feel. Either way was fine by me. "Now, let's get you out of these clothes and into bed before you pass out on me, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. Out of my clothes, into your bed, on top of you - these are all things I'm fully willing to participate in."

"Seriously killing me," he warned me again, cocking his eyebrow at me. _Is it weird that I want to lick his eyebrow? Because I do. I want to lick every part of him. More than once. A lot more than once._

"You're such a poop," I said with a pout as I held onto his shoulder with one hand and helped him peel off my jeans with the other, leaving me in my top and a black lace thong I'd put on in hopes he'd be seeing me in them...and _out _of them. _So much for that idea, Bella. Maybe if you hadn't had a love affair with those damn margaritas, you'd finally be having some one-on-one time with Edward's love pole. Oh yeah, alcohol definitely kills brain cells and apparently I need all I can get these days...love pole? Really?_

He helped me out of my blouse and the black tube top underneath, draping my clothes over the black leather bench at the foot of his bed before picking up the T-shirt he'd given me to change into. I could tell he was trying not to really look at me standing there, right in front of him, naked except for my bra and panties.

After pulling the shirt over my head, he placed a chaste kiss on the tip of my nose before pulling the covers back and helping me into his bed. The cool, crisp sheets enveloped me as I lay my head down on the pillow and breathed in his scent all around me. _Heaven._

I closed my eyes and everything became even fuzzier than it had been before. After what seemed like mere seconds, I felt the bed dip behind me followed by the warmth of Edward's arm around my waist and I sighed as he spooned me, more content than I'd felt in a very long time. His lips brushed against my ear as he whispered goodnight to me and I couldn't stop myself from rolling over and cuddling up against him, my head finding comfort on his very bare chest. It felt like a dream as he held me even closer, kissing the top of my head and rubbing soothing circles on my back as sleep began to pull me back under.

And in my drunken haze, I couldn't be certain, but I might have told Edward I loved him...


End file.
